Designers and Beer...What's yours

Need I say more? We all love it. We all have our favorites, so lets hear them. I have become quite the connoisseur throughout my years, so it would be great to hear what others are drinking out there. Here are a few of my favorites:

Lake Placid IPA
Sam Adams Summer Ale
Anchor Liberty Ale
Sierra Nevada (pretty much anything they make)
Dogfish head 90min IPA
Stone (pretty much anything they make)
Guinness
Bass
When I am in a real redneck mood PBR

Awesome topic, where to start.

I’ll second the dogfish head IPAs 60, 90, 120 are usually a good bet
Founder’s is always awesome

New Glarus (a local wisconsin brewery) is top shelf
Moon Man, Stone Soup, Coffee Stout are my favs. I just finished my second bottle of their limited special, “Enigma” which is a “wild yeast spontaneously fermenting a rich treasure of malted barley and cherries in unlined oak casks” this tastes more of a gueuze than a beer, but very drinkable.

love anything from http://www.ommegang.com/
and you can’t go wrong with 3 floyds alpha king ipa or any of their outstanding barrel aged concoctions

okay, I’ll stop there… :laughing:

EDIT: wait one more, almost forgot my favorite beer!

Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale!

Nice calls on the brews. I’m a big fan of Spotted Cow from New Glarus. Somehow their use of corn in the beer doesn’t come off as a way of cutting costs on their malt bill but tastes genuine. Same with their packaging. They seem like a very genuine company.

Ive been getting deep into Victory and Troegs beers as they become more and more available up here in the upper right corner. I especially like Victory’s festbier, Nugget Nectar, and Hop Wallop.

And I’m always a sucker for anything from Weihenstephan like their Dopplebock.

Saison Dupont is also a top summer beer in my book. The Saison style in general blows my mind gotta love Belgium and their no rules beer.

And lastly i just finished a homebrew that was a Dry Irish Stout that had a light spiking of Makers Mark added in its secondary.


Love hearing that other designers like the glass enclosed malted gut bombs as well.

I have to second the “Founders”. Their “Ales of the Revolution” are amazing. I have not tried their other brews, but have been meaning to. I just finished my second Lake Placid IPA. I think I will have another.

Oh forgot Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold!

Founder’s Nemesis is crazy good. The one this year was particularly great. It’s a very limited annual brew, usually topping 12% and tastes more like bourbon than beer but is strikingly not syrupy like you’d expect. Can’t wait til next year.

Yeah, Great Lakes, another good brewer! I’ve tried most, but havent picked up the Dortmunder Gold yet, putting it on my list.

Victory is a solid beer. It is pretty saturated here in the north east, so I forgot to put it on the list. I for got one of my favorites, Red Oak Brewery. A great beer out of NC.

Founder’s Nemesis is crazy good. The one this year was particularly great. It’s a very limited annual brew, usually topping 12% and tastes more like bourbon than beer but is strikingly not syrupy like you’d expect. Can’t wait til next year.

Sounds awesome!! I will have to check it out. I have had brews the were brewed in scotch or bourbon barrels. They are very complex and take beer to a completely different level. Not only do I love beer but also love to cook and these kind of beers add a different level when it comes to pairing it with food.

If I’m in a ‘meal beer’ kinda mood:
Maredsous
Chimay
Samuel Smith Oatmeal Ale
Tilburg Dutch Brown Ale
Xingu

Summery mood wheats:
Franconia (from TX)
Franziskaner

Other:
I also had a Carib beer in St Kitts I loved, having a hard time finding it. Light and easy to drink.
Shiner beers from TX are also pretty good.

I like a Canadian Lambic every once in a while too.

I brew and keg my own.
Right now on tap in my keggerator i got:
SOB ale - its a strong ale 11% alc
Thunder Red ale - and irish red ale

when im not drinking beer i brewed myself i love anything by stone especially their IPA and Arrogant bastard. Being in boston you , cant go wrong with a sam adams

I had no idea I was so spoiled living about 15 min from Founders and 45 min from Bells (used to be the other way around). I really enjoy the Bells Consecrator Dopplebock when it is out, although it does count as an entire day worth of calories I think!

I was no where near as impressed with the Chicago Beers though. Half acre, goose island, ect…None of them were worth the premuim over Blue light. I suggest staying away form them.

I live in the land of Beer: Belgium

So we drink it like tap water…Mostly Stella and Jupiler. Stella maybe a fancy beer in foreign countries but here it’s cheap :wink:

Summit EPA

Mmmm Beer

Some of my favorites in no particle order.

Avery White Rascal
Dogfish head Raison d’etre
Speakeasy Prohibition
Magic Hat #9
Ballast Point Yellow tail
Hoegaarden
Delirium Tremens
Pliny the elder
Most things New Belgium and Stone

Awesome Discussion

We’re pretty spoiled in Philly with a substantial craft brewery scene but anyway some of my favorites

Allagash triple
Golden Monkey
Troggenator
Leffe
St. Bernardus
Sam Adams also makes a double which is actually really good

I also like Magic Hat #9 I’ve sampled most of their other beers, and #9 is really the only one worth seeking out IMO

Going back to dogfish head, they make a seasonal apricot ale (I think it’s apri-hop) or something like that. It’s not fruity, just an accent of apricot, mixes the citrus/pine front with the sweeter molasses back nicely.

If you like Delirium Tremens, the Delirium Nocturnum is excellent and more my style. If you can find it on tap, it’s heavenly.

I’m not trying to say that you guys don’t know whats going on… because really it’s not your fault. The northwest is very far away from where most of you are. That being said, you guys don’t know whats going on. (If that wasn’t beer-snobby enough for you, talk to someone from Portland)

Heres some of my faves from the NW – catch them on tap if you can, it’s always better.
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Great topic,

I’m in full Northwest support of JGray, it’s only because it rains so much that we find the time to perfect Beer.

Here are some additions -

Rogue - Dead Guy Ale

Pike Place - IPA

Elysian Brewery - plenty of good beers!

Manny’s

and the occasional 6’r of Rainier just to keep things real.


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Hmmm… I’m a Huge beer fan. I’m mainly into stouts and ales. But you can’t go wrong with a great IPA with meals.

Stouts
Murphy’s - Irish Stout
Guinness - Draught
Guinness - 250
Young’s - Double Chocolate Stout
Goose Island - Bourbon County Stout
Breckenridge - Oatmeal Stout

Ales
Goose Island - Pere Jacques (Belgian Style Abbey Ale)
Schlafly - Reserve (Barleywine Style Ale)
Sierra Nevada - Bigfoot (Barley Wine)
Sierra Nevada - Celebration Ale
New Belgium - 1554 (Black Ale)
New Belgium - Abbey Grand Cru (Abbey Ale)
Chimay - Bleue Grand Reserve (Trappist Ale)
Boulevard - Long Strange Tripel (Golden Ale)
Samual Adams - Scotch Ale

Ciders
Woodchuck - Amber Cider (Has to be from the tap)

Lambic
Lindemans - Framboise

Beer Mixes
Snakebite (1/2 Guinness 1/2 Woodchuck)
Chocolate Truffle (1/2 Guinness 1/2 Lindemans Framboise)

Späten Optimator thank you very much. PROST!!!

Second on the list: Samual Smith’s Nut Brown Ale
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