Beer Poll VI - Wars (and beers) begin and end with handshakes

[JohnnyB]

Rochefort 8 vs Westmalle in the first round is a tough one. Either way a great beer will go down while some that pale in comparison will move on.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Yeah, I voted 8, but I can understand a difference in taste there for sure.

If you picked Coors Light over La Fin du Monde, however... I am just so, so sorry.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Really?

I mean come on, it's not like Chouffe is a barrel-aged gose. It's not some weirdly flavoured beer. It's just strong. I think most people, given a chance, would actually demonstrate that they have pretty good taste!

... I'm just kidding. If you're happy with bud I'm happy for you. Frankly I'm a bit jealous, it's like my mom, who only drinks boxed wine. Sounds a lot easier on the wallet.

Barrel aged gose isn’t a thing is it? Gose is a pretty pedestrian sour and corsi you are doing a pretty poor job repping the real beer snobs.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Well, given that you're apparently able to be a snob about being a beer snob, which is a level of snobbery I can hardly hope to reach, feel free to tag in.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Well, given that you're apparently able to be a snob about being a beer snob, which is a level of snobbery I can hardly hope to reach, feel free to tag in.

This is tough one and its hard to watch this poll. I've made a hobby of being an obnoxious beer snob for the past 10-15 years. I can only think of 2 beers in this top 50 I haven't had https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/top-rated/. Maybe about 10 in the 51-100... There are some better low volume beers that don't make this list, but it's fairly solid. I don't think there is any from this list in the poll.

Gose is a kettle sour that usually adds a bunch of fruit and these days, most of the goses I've had have more in common with a local smoothy store than a beer. If you meant barrel aged gueuze.... then yeah, that's an acquired taste and I'd say those are among the best beers I have ever had. Gueuze is only allowed to be brewed in a region of Belgium. It takes 3 years of vintage of spontaneous fermentation to brew a gueuze. ie, no yeast added. They rely on the bacteria in the environment to attach itself in the coolship. They do that only in the cool winter months and then put in barrels until they have 3 years to mix and bottle condition. All the fermentation and carbonation is natural.

These are a couple I had at the brewery. The Lou Pepe Kriek is probably my favorite beer I've ever had.

Don't get me started about IPAs, and how there is no Tree House, Hill Farmstead, Alchemist in this poll...

lol, is that snobby enough for you?

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

No no, continue. Which of the beers in the poll should win, in your exalted opinion?

Edit: missed your question about the barrel aged gose. I was trying to think of a good example of "this is definitely not going to be for everyone" in beer form, and the first thing that came to mind was this.

[nfotiu]

For the beers I've had on the list... La Fin du Monde. Pilsner-Urquell would be second.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Interesting. Which of the belgians on the list have you not had, for example? I would have a hard time picking either of those over the Rochefort 8.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Interesting. Which of the belgians on the list have you not had, for example? I would have a hard time picking either of those over the Rochefort 8.

La fin de Monde has a lot of interesting flavor and spice. Westy 12 is my favorite of the trappists and would be my pick if it was on the list.

If I was going to pick a favorite all time traditional Belgian, it would be this ... https://www.globalbeer.com/beers/de-garre/

The experience might have helped, since you had to go down an unmarked alley in Brugge to find the only place selling it. It looks like it is bottled now...

But the real great Belgian beers in my opinion are the Lambics... Cantillon and drie fonteinen.

[agulati]

Speaking of Bruges,

Brugse Zot by the De Halve Mann is a pretty solid beer

[PepsiFree]

I feel like there are four main categories of beer drinker:
- Bought to get wrecked (Probably drank Colt 45 or Black Ice as a teenager, but tastes have evolved, now loves the dependable taste of Molson Canadian)
- The hydrationist (Drinks a lot, consistently, so price and a mild taste are essential. Store brand is fine, Bud is fine, AGD, PBR, you name it, they’re easy)
- The beer fan/explorer (Not above the big brews, but enjoys having a dependable selection of local craft beers, will always happily try something new)
- The beer snob (had a Belgian beer once and now they won’t shut the #### up about it)

Everyone is enjoyable to be around but the beer snob. Though, if you can get two, you can set them on each other and they’ll keep themselves going for hours while the rest of your crew enjoys life.

[nfotiu]

I'm thanking you... and I know I'm a butt of your joke.

I would have said the same thing about my late dad and wine.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

I'm thanking you... and I know I'm a butt of your joke.

I would have said the same thing about my late dad and wine.

Your grace is appreciated.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

La Chouffe is great and Bud is terrible.

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

If you picked Coors Light over La Fin du Monde, however... I am just so, so sorry.

Agreed that Bud is horrible.

However if I've never tried La Chouffe how can I possibly vote for it? (Quoted Corsi as well as I thought I hadn't had La Fin du Monde until I googled it)

[woob]

I understand people's palettes are different, but it still boggles the mind that people willingly drink Bud, let alone move on to Bud after drinking finer beers earlier in the evening. If anything, I'd choke down a Bud on a hot day because it's the only thing around, but to move to it after I've been enjoying some nice local brews?? That's madness.

[FireGilbert]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

I feel like there are four main categories of beer drinker:
- Bought to get wrecked (Probably drank Colt 45 or Black Ice as a teenager, but tastes have evolved, now loves the dependable taste of Molson Canadian)
- The hydrationist (Drinks a lot, consistently, so price and a mild taste are essential. Store brand is fine, Bud is fine, AGD, PBR, you name it, they’re easy)
- The beer fan/explorer (Not above the big brews, but enjoys having a dependable selection of local craft beers, will always happily try something new)
- The beer snob (had a Belgian beer once and now they won’t shut the #### up about it)

Everyone is enjoyable to be around but the beer snob. Though, if you can get two, you can set them on each other and they’ll keep themselves going for hours while the rest of your crew enjoys life.

Yeah I laughed despite being a snob. I will object though to someone who gets wrecked off Molson being enjoyable to be around.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

This is tough one and its hard to watch this poll. I've made a hobby of being an obnoxious beer snob for the past 10-15 years. I can only think of 2 beers in this top 50 I haven't had https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/top-rated/.

That list appears to have a lot of obnoxious groupthink/regional bias happening. It would be nice if there was a way to filter only the top result for each brewery, and for a minimum number of reviews (perhaps there is - I just use untapped, haven't really explored BA in ages if ever)

Predisposition is a big issue in any subjective 'review' situation. Are there any sites that have big sample sizes for blind tests? It would be fascinating to have people self identify (pepsifree's groupings are pretty good) and see how results worked out in a controlled blind test.

[looooob]

Originally Posted by agulati

Speaking of Bruges,

Brugse Zot by the De Halve Mann is a pretty solid beer

speaking of Bruges...I love drinking beer in Bruges...that is all

[MoneyGuy]

I have a friend who brews his own beer that I think compares favourably with anything I’ve ever tasted. Months ago he had a party and a friend brought Bud Light.

He’d had Randal’s beer before and agreed that it’s awesome. When I asked why he brought inferior beer when the good stuff is flowing freely and he said, “It’s my beer.”

Okay, man. More for the rest of us.

[activeStick]

Tough poll! Could only vote in a small group of the brackets as I either have only tried one of the beers or sometimes, neither.