The Imported Beer Thread - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Reggie Dunlop · 05-29-2006, 10:24 PM

Every once in a while I bring home a bottle or two of something different than the usual swill.
Rather enjoyed the Boddington's Cream Ale I had last week. This week it's Duckstein. A darkish copper-colored German beer, very malty yet with a sharp hop bite more common with pilsner style. Quite different than your typical dark beer.

This is just like the altbier I found in small German towns. Brewed like an ale, but conditioned like a lager and beechwood aged. This so "old school" it's medieval.

Anyone else have an off-beat favorite?

JiriHrdina · 05-29-2006, 11:02 PM

Oh I love trying new beers.

If you can find it - Heineken Dark is a wonderful dark ale. It hasn't been avialable in Canada for about 10 years now but is still available in the US.

Leif is good as well.

I share your love of Boddingtons Cream Ale and also would encourage you to try Caffreys and oh what's the other one....ummmmmm...Kilkenney (pretty common so you've probably tried it).

There is a great Cuban beer called Hatuni (spelled wrong) that the liquor store on 4th carried for a while but I can't find it now.

I also enjoy anything produced by Peak Brewery.

KevanGuy · 05-29-2006, 11:03 PM

Boddingtons is my absolute favorite beer. Nothing beats it on tap. If you liked the cans Reg (which I don't really) you should head to Limricks or someplace like that and enjoy a real pint of it.

Newcastle Brown is my other favorite beer. It is the perfect camping beer because it tastes good cold or at room temp.

Reggie Dunlop · 05-29-2006, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevanGuy

Newcastle Brown is my other favorite beer. It is the perfect camping beer because it tastes good cold or at room temp.

You'd like Duckstein then. A lot like British brown ales, although like I said, with a pronounced hop taste. It's not sweet and cloying like a lot of Bavarian-style dark beers.

The old Kaiser of Prussia liked this one. Pretty close to my own roots. Maybe there's something genetic to me liking it.

KevanGuy · 05-29-2006, 11:22 PM

Cool, I will try it out. I am generally not a fan of pilsner type beers like Heineken, Tuborg, Stella, or Warsteiner but I will giver a shot.

I like a heavier, creamier beer like Boddingtons or Kilkenny like Jiri said. Cafferys is also pretty good. So is John Smith's but it is pretty tough to find in Calgary.

KevanGuy · 05-29-2006, 11:27 PM

Oh, I thought of another 'weirder' one that I just tried for the first time a couple weekends ago. McEwans Scotch Ale. It has a pretty funky taste and it is a heafty 8.0%. It has a really distinctive taste, I cant even really compare it to anything else I've had. The first word that comes to mind is 'dirty'. It has a heavy after taste that lingers. Quite bitter but still good.

KootenayFlamesFan · 05-29-2006, 11:33 PM

I tried a bottle of this beer (I think it was from Scotland??) a few months ago. They weren't selling them in cases, just singles.

Anyways, it was pretty nice. A light beer, not like Guiness or anything. I think it said on the bottle that it had a touch of whiskey in it? Kind of different, but pretty smooth. I was pleasantly surprised and meant to pick up more of them, but never got around to it.

It's really bugging me that I can't remember the name of it. I'll be going to the booze store this weekend, I'll see if I can find it to let you know what it was called.

Circa89 · 05-29-2006, 11:38 PM

I haven't had it in many years but from what I remember Adelscott is a fabulous unique brew. I don't think its available in Canada but I drank this while living in France. It's a beer that is fermented in old Whiskey Barrels, gives the beer a sweet and smokey wiskey flavour. Awesome, it also kicks the alcohol percentage up to 6.6% so be careful.

If this beer was Adelscott please let me know. I haven't had it in years and I would love to try it again. However you said it might be from Scottland. My guess is that it was Innes Gunn.

But for beers available in Canada I suggest "trying" tree brewery out of Kelowna if you like Hoppy beer. I had the Hophead IPA. This is the hoppiest beer I have ever had. I do not recomend it for those who are not familiar and love the Yakima Valley Hops.

Reggie Dunlop · 05-29-2006, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevanGuy

McEwans Scotch Ale.

I tried that a long time ago. It was pretty skunky. Then again, it was the bartender at the old Mission Bridge Brewery (the Gausthaus location which is Wildwood presently) who gave it to me for free because nobody was buying it and it was taking up space. Hardly ideal condition, I guess.

JiriHrdina · 05-30-2006, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

I tried that a long time ago. It was pretty skunky. Then again, it was the bartender at the old Mission Bridge Brewery (the Gausthaus location which is Wildwood presently) who gave it to me for free because nobody was buying it and it was taking up space. Hardly ideal condition, I guess.

The Gausthaus! Ah the memories. My grandad got accused of stealing one of their boots that they used to serve beer in there. Needless to say that was the last time we frequented that establishment.

Back on topic Mcewans is gross. Nasty aftertaste. Bleach.

The Hop n' Brew on 12th is a great place to go to sample beer, they have a ton on tap (though not as many as Bottlescrew Bills). However, they have on beer there that is just NASTY. Horrible stuff and I can never recall which it is and invariably always end up ordering it. Cloudy color to it. Yuck.

Burninator · 05-30-2006, 12:51 AM

Can't think of import beer in particular, but a good way to find new beer is a beer buffet. Get 5 of you buddies and have them each go to the liqour store and buy a pack of the most obscure beer. Each person gets a one beer of each kind. Multiply beer or people to however much you want to remeber. Canbe pretty hit or miss. I remeber having a decent Chinese beer, can't recall the name. Good Times.

KevanGuy · 05-30-2006, 01:02 AM

The beer you might be thinking of Grant is Hoogarden (sp?). Its cloudy and served more in a bowl then a pint glass. I cant stand that stuff.

And yeah, McEwans is pretty nasty but it is something to at least try. And hey, at 8.0% you cant beat that for value! It is from Scotland, so maybe it is the one you are thinking of KFF.

Reggie Dunlop · 05-30-2006, 01:10 AM

Hefeweisen beer is an acquired taste. Wheat beer with bits o' yeast floating about. That's why it's cloudy. Get your B vitamins from the yeast. A bit of lemon helps. Once in a while it's okay.

The wheat beer I like is Berliner Weiss, which is often compared to champagne. Usually you have that with a schuss of either Raspberry or Woodruff (a green herbal conconction) syrup. Danged if I'm going to buy a bottle of Woodruff syrup though. Still, it's the perfect summer beer.

Burnitator: You're probably thinking of Tsingtao. It's obligatory if you dine down in Chinatown. It's a pretty German style of lager though.

Freeway · 05-30-2006, 02:19 AM

Hoegarden is BAD. Tsingtao was surprisingly good.

Footscray · 05-30-2006, 05:02 AM

I had a beer called St. Peter's Lemon and Ginger Spiced Ale from the UK a couple weeks ago, comes in a bottle that makes you feel like you live in an age where Raffi Torres "social life" is still an capital offence but it tasted quite good if a little unusual. If you don't like the Belgian beers or the Hoegaarden might not be your favourite, it does have kind of a sweet taste though no orange peel chunkies like hoegaarden. Nice beer for a hot summer day what with the lemon and all.

Frank the Tank · 05-30-2006, 07:43 AM

Old Speckled Hen is a good medium-dark english beer.

BlackEleven · 05-30-2006, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fotze

I also like the Quebec beers from Unibroue, very tasty but pretty expensive and tend to be very alcohoilic.

Unibroue was fairly recently bought by Sleemans. I think they changed the beer, it doesn't taste the same since, but it's still decent. I prefer U2, its a pretty good brew.

The alcoholic beers you're thinking of are probably La Fin du Monde and Maudite. Both are over 10%, I believe.

There are definitely some good micro-brews in Quebec though (that as far as I know cannot be bought outside Quebec). If you're ever in Montreal visit Dieu du Ciel or La Mer a Boire, both brew their own beer and both have some of the best beer I've ever tasted (especially Dieu du Ciel).

Incogneto · 05-30-2006, 07:58 AM

Budvar is the best beer in Europe....IMO.

You can get it at some places here in Calgary, under the psudo-name 'CzechVar'.

TheCommodoreAfro · 05-30-2006, 08:03 AM

The Belgian Chimay blue, white and red series is a favourite of mine. Nothing beats beer brewed by monks. There's a British style pub around the corner from my office here in Tokyo that serves Hobgoblin beers from the Uk - my current favorite is a porter called Black Wytch.

That said, I would kill to enjoy a trad (or McNally's Extra) here in Tokyo.

J pold · 05-30-2006, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freeway

Hoegarden is BAD. Tsingtao was surprisingly good.

Have to agree, on New years my buddy and I wanted to go international with are beer choice, he got Hoegarden and I got Tsingtao and Tiger needles to say he couldn’t even finish 6 while I enjoyed my Chinese beer

Has anyone ever tried Red Stripe? I only ask this because I saw a commercial for it the other night, probably the best commercial I have ever seen