First time drinking US beer

"Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa" (bularmy) 09/30/2014 at 15:04 • Filed to: BEERLOPNIK

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For a long time I wanted to drink a US made beer that is not what you call pisswater(the mainstream brands), so I was happy to come across this thing in my local beer shop. As an European that have access and been spoiled by all things Belgian, German and Czech, I always associated US beers with the shit that is Budwiser, Coors and the other brand sthat get trashed in every beer conversation. Thanks to Oppo, I understood that in 'Murica there is definitely a taste for nicer beers, so I wanted to taste something from the "underground" scene.

I am happy to report that I am very satisfied by what I just put in my body. It had great bitter taste, because it is higher alcohol by volume beer(7.1%), the smell was great - rich and strong.

If you have drinked this certain brand(Flying Dog - Snake Dog ipa), how do you rate over to other smaller breweries? Also love the interesting labels that most such beer have.

macanamera > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 15:08

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Flying Dog makes great stuff, for the most part.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 15:08

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Interestingly enough, Flying Dog makes one of my wife's favorite beers - Raging Bitch.

No I'm not making that up.

They make good stuff, I'm more into Ambers and Reds though these days, I haven't tried one from them. I'm not big into the IPA craze.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 15:09

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Flying Dog isn't bad, however Dogfish head 60 minute IPA is WAY better IMHO. I also like their 90 minute and 120 minute but if the goal is not getting completely shitfaced 60 minute is the way to go. 120 minute is 15-20 ABV and 90 minute is 9 ABV.

Sweet Trav > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 15:12

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I dont know if they will ever start distributing internationally, but Bells Brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan is fantastic. Highly Recommend all of their brews.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 15:13

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The bitterness didn't come from the alcohol, it's bitter because it's an IPA.

Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 09/30/2014 at 15:14

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What will this mean? Every strong beer( over 7%) have bitter taste from my experience.

jariten1781 > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 15:15

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Flying dog is good stuff. Try the Double Dog if it comes your way.

My go-tos were Lagunitas Maximus and Dogfishhead 90 minute.

Also, it's about time for Sierra Nevada Celebration to hit the shelves again. Best winter brew, tastes like pine needles. Yummm.

marvthegrate > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 15:16

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I prefer the Flying Dog - Doggy Style myself, but Snake Dog is good too. If you like bitter, strong beers, try to find Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA. Also there are several very good IPAs brewed in my home town of Salt Lake City.

GatorEight > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 15:17

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Hey that's great! Flying dog is brewed near me in Maryland. I love their beers, they have great flavor and variety. My personal favorites are Gonzo (an imperial) and Raging Bitch (a Belgian style IPA). You can even take tours of the brewery and refill your growlers.

We have a great beer scene on the east coast USA. In my area we have Flying Dog, Dogfish Head, Heavy Seas, and lots of others. We have restaurants that brew great beer as well, especially Great American Restaurants in Virginia.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 15:17

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Were they all IPA's? Because the bitterness comes from the hops. Go try an imperial stout.

marvthegrate > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 15:18

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Not all high gravity beers are bitter. In fact many are rather sweet. The bitterness comes from hops and is a characteristic of IPAs in general. The IPA style was created with much more hops added than normal to ensure that it would stay drinkable for sea voyages around Africa to India.

Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 09/30/2014 at 15:19

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Hmm, no i think, I have tried some Belgian 12+% and they were bitter as fuck.

phenotyp > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 15:19

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Flying Dog pale ale is one of my very favorites. Can't argue with delicious beer with gorgeous artwork by Ralph Steadman.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 15:21

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I've never had a bitter Belgian.

Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 09/30/2014 at 15:23

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Well they produce shitton types of beer. My local beer shop is like that: 50% German, Czech, British/50% Belgians...

Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa > Sweet Trav 09/30/2014 at 15:30

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US beers have a lot to prove expecially in Europe, where we have boatload of absolutely, utterly brilliant beer to choose. Most of my peers and the overal beer drinking populaion that actually understand beer and don't say that Heineken or Tuborg are great, things that US beers are shit. Not unlike they think US cars are shit. Thanks to Oppo showing a lot of micro breweris and saying they are awesome, I tried to enlighten then that they are just generalising, just like cars. I have drinven a first gen CTS for some months and it is very good car that can stand its ground in some ways to its German rivals. The beer thing is just the same.

Sweet Trav > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 15:33

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Unfortnately as more big breweries get bought up by corporations we get more crap beer, however for the past 10-15 years there has been a wonderful resurgence in craft and small time brewery over here that focus on quality and taste over quantity.

Bad Idea Hat > Sweet Trav 09/30/2014 at 15:38

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Bells is the best. I don't just say that because they're from my home state. Mostly though.

Oberon's release day is a holiday in Hatland.

WhereAreMyPants > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 15:44

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I drink a lot of Snake Dog. Very nicely balanced hops, with good body, but still light enough to enjoy in hot weather.

It's not the best American style IPA, but it's brewed locally, and is relatively inexpensive around here.

I'd definitely second the advice to try the Dogfish Head IPA series. The 60 minute is comparable to this one, although better imho. The 90 and 120 are exceptional, but a bit more divisive, simply because they're SO hoppy and complex.

JEM > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 15:44

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Flying dog has some of the best label art out there and has been around quite awhile now by craft beer standards. Like, 20+ years I think? I would see it's about average in the microbrew world. Above average would be breweries like Lagunitas, Dogfishhead, Ommegang, Bruery, etc..

Or, for example, one of brewers closest to me, Spencer Brewery - the only Trappist brewery in North America :-)

whatisthatsound > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 15:48

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I'm willing to say the US currently has better beers all around than Europe sans sours which are Europe's true gems. Even that is changing though with breweries like Russian River and Cisco.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 15:48

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There are Belgian IPAs...Piraat, for example.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 15:53

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In the US, most craft breweries aren't large enough to distribute in the entire country, let alone ship overseas. Dogfish Head, Sierra Nevada and Lagunitas may be good examples of exceptions, but it's going to be tough to find the selection you can find in the good parts of the US (i.e. California, the Pacific Northwest, and the Northeast). For both good beer and interesting art, I'd seek out Stone and Rogue, both West Coast breweries that turn out both very good and very unique stuff.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 16:01

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Try a big gravity Belgian white next to an IPA. You'll taste the hops then

strayts > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 16:10

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When diving into beer in the US, you have to take it by region. Each region has its specific strengths. I live in the northwest and can attest to the excellence that is Washington and Oregon beers. I've never tried Flying Dog, though, so I'll have to give it a go :).

Future ND Owner > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 16:40

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Flying Dog is a good brewery. New Belgium Brewing Co. is my favorite though; they are out of Ft. Collins, Co. I would also check out Allagash Brewing Co, Oskar Blues, Lagunitas, and Shiner.

vdub_nut: scooter snob > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 16:56

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If you get Founders (which I doubt you would outside the US), try their stuff. It's breakfast stout season, so I'm on the hunt for a case or.... four.

ACESandEIGHTS > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 17:20

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The US now has far more beer labels and breweries than any other sovereign state, (including Germany) with the vast majority being quality connoisseur brews (though of course volume-wise it's still technically dominated by the boring bright yellow lager everyone typically loathes) even after the boom-and-bust 90s and 00s saw many fold up shop. So very many medium and small breweries here. Try a variety: the US brews more unique India Pale Ales now than most countries/regions have brands of beer.

Let me don my flame suit here. OK, great, fitting nicely nowadays. The US leads the world in beer innovation, variety and quality now. Any other viewpoint is sadly jingoistic and outdated.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 09/30/2014 at 23:41

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There's a huge variety of beer in the US. It's a shame only the most famous Bud, Coors get exported. Sierra Nevada is one of my favorites.

What I've noticed about a lot of my fellow countrymen, is whatever your drinking style is by the time your 25 years old is what you will continue to drink for the rest of your life. If you start with what I consider good beers it's hard to drink piss, (natural ice), but you start with that then its hard to justify spending 2x as much.