Duvel

[quinn14]

So after reading kr and Flop's posts about Duvel, curiosity got to me. I bought a 4-pack and invited a few friends over for UFC and a beer tasting. It cost around $15 and I didn't get the glass that is supposed to go with it. But, I have got to say that it is a very good beer. I'm not a real connoisseur so I don't know quite how to describe it. I will say it has A LOT of taste. You can smell it from a few feet away too. Like a sweet, fruity smell. It's a beer I would drink with a nice meal. I wouldn't recommend it if you plan on chugging, though.

One buddy brought a 6-pack of Stella Artois. It's a Belgian Lager but not as heavy as Duvel. It's pretty good too and you can chug it. But at $9 a 6-pack, I'm not sure you'de want to. But if you want to try something different, it's pretty good.

[kr1963]

This could possibly be the most important thread ever created in the history of this board....

[kr1963]

Ok Quinny here's my TOP 20 in no particular order:

Duvel - Belgian White Ale (Have it on tap in a bar in Amsterdam or Brussels & you will see the beer gods)
New Amsterdam Amber Ale - Domestic from Utica, NY
Blue Moon - Belgian White from Coors Colorado
Celis White - Belgian White from Texas
Oranjebloom - Dutch Pale Lager
Grolsch - Dutch Pale Lager from a 400 year old Brewery (Known by the porcelain cap)
Kuppers Kolsch - German Kolsch from Cologne (awesome on tap)
Lord Chesterfield Ale - APA from Yuengling in Pottsville, PA (I grew up on this until I moved to Austria)
Spaten Weiss - German Wheat Beer from Munich (Need a Weiss bier glass, turn bottle completely upside down into glass so that the bottle opening is submerged in the beer & then slowly pull up, serve with a lemon slice - awesome)
Moretti - Italian pale lager (I like to cook with this)
Lindemanns Framboise (Raspberry) &
Lindemann's Kriek (Cherry) Belgain Specialty beers (Not sugary sweet but made with fruit, almost like a cognac beer, awesome but not for everyone)
Kronenbourg 1664 French Pale Lager
Gosser - Austrian Pilsner (Heavy)
Pilsner Urquell - Czech Pilsner (Heavier)
Steigl - Austrian Pale Lager (Not particularly great but I drank it by the case by Junior year of college in Salzburg, the case btw is like a giant plastic milk crate & you have to return the bottles; still better then Bud Or MGD by a long shot)
Zipfer Urtyp - Very Hoppy Viennese Beer
DAB (Dortmunder Actien Brauerei) German Pale Lager
Warsteiner - German Pilsner
Bitburger - German Pilsner

There is a place in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh (where the University of Pittsburgh is) called the Dirty O's. In the early 80s it had a beer list of like a 100 beers. Unheard of then. Well when I came home from my year studying in Austria I discovered this place & went wild. For Christmas I bought my Dad (a serious Bud drinker) a case of beer where every bottle was different. At 1st here was skeptical to be learning about beer from his 19 year old son but learned him I did.

The next year my dad started taking orders from all the other professors for a "Christmas case". Then once we had 24 orders my dad & I went tot he Dirty O's & bought 24 cases of separate beers (like the list above) & then broke it down into 24 individualized cases. Everyone loved it. He did it for about 10 years before he retired. After awhile he stopped going to PGH & just ordered it from the Beer Distributor in town so we got it cheaper & by the time my Dad was done he would have a few cases left over as "profit". Then he had enough extra beer for the rest of the month.

I actually "stopped drinking" about 22 years ago. I still will have a beer with my Dad at Thanksgiving or a bottle of Champagne at New Years but not too much outside of that besides cooking with red & white wine. But once in awhile I go out while at trade shows & celebrate a productive weekend with a pack of Clove cigarettes & a few rounds of Duvel or whatever else I can find. The world of beer is much different then it was 30 years ago when I first discovered the incredible flavors in European beers. I hope you try some of the stuff I recommended & find it as enjoyable as I have. Rock on...

[quinn14]

Impressive list. I've only had 3 of those. Duvel, Blue Moon and Warsteiner. I do not like Warsteiner. But, Jungle Jims allows people to mix and match their own 6-pack so I will try to do my best to try at least one bottle of each. It's a dirty job, but dammit, I'll do it.

Now I am awaiting Flop's list. A man can never do to much research!

[kr1963]

Pilsners are generally lighter, drier than a lager like most Americans are used to drinking. There are always better on tap.

[Flop The Nuts]

Now I am awaiting Flop's list. A man can never do to much research!

It would be much easier for me to give you a wine list rather than a beer list, because I usually drink wine unless I'm having sushi, Thai food, mexican food, pizza, and some BBQ's. I also can't stand beer that tastes fruity or needs to have fruit added to it. So, my experience is within a bit of a narrow range, but here are a few favorites.

Guinness (#1, nothing else is close)
Stella Artois (just had a keg of it at our fantasty football draft last Friday, good beer if you plan on drinking 9 or 12)
Fat Tire
Kona Longboard
Blue Moon
Alaskan Amber
Sierra Nevada - I like this if I'm only drinking one or two. It's such a hearty beer that makes it difficult for me to drink more than a couple.

[quinn14]

Wow! Nice list. I too like the Stella Artois, but yesterday was the first time I've had it. I agree, you can chug 9-12 of them. Haven't tried Alaskan Amber but I love Alaskan Pale Ale. For some reason I think I've had Sierra Nevada, it looks familiar though I don't remember it. Anyway, I will try those too. Thanks for the list.

If anyone else has a list please post it.

[Snackem]

Have any of you ever tried any Seven Brides? They're a fairly small micro brew but if you ever get the chance they're one of the best I've ever had.

[quinn14]

Have any of you ever tried any Seven Brides? They're a fairly small micro brew but if you ever get the chance they're one of the best I've ever had.

I have not. But Jungle Jims breaks down micro brews into parts of the country. Should I look towards the northern west? I am assuming it's from Washington.