If you could bring back one beer

Last time I think I had a Pete's was in Ashland, Oregon, nearly 30yrs ago, so I was surprised at it's longevity as well.

 

I almost never drank Falstaff -- and who would know what it tasted like?. But one hot night in '76 traveling through Lincoln Nebraska, my wife's 72 Dart developed a fouled plug (normally reliable slant six, too!) I bought some plugs, borrowed a wrench and changed the plugs. Afterwards, we adjourned to a nearby cafe, and had Falstaff draft. It was the best tasting beer that you could imagine.

 

Nearly 30 years ago is the late 90s. It didn't outlast your last glass by that much

 

The original Infidel was amazing too. Back when it used all Galaxy. I romanticize about the early Selkirk days.

 

Per @jesskidden's post above, it didn't actually go away until about a dozen yrs ago, and my last remembered encounter with it was 1994.

 

Last time I had Infidel it made me mad, it was so bad.

 

I had the Woodstock IPA at least twice - based on the use of the name MacTarnahan used on the packaging (below, right), I guess it the last time was in the 2000s.

Unfortunately, at the time, I was also unaware of it originally being based on the Falstaff/Narranganset version Ballantine India Pale Ale by their then brewmaster Alan Kornhauser in the 1990s. I don't remember the beer at all nor did it bring to mind BIPA - but it's possible the recipe had changed by then, too. In that era, my "house" IPA was Victory's HopDevil (was commonly found on tap in the bars I frequented, too), so strong, hoppy/bitter IPAs were the standard.

The Narragansett brewery aged the IPA in "wax-coated cypress" and, contrary to some sources, the original Ballantine brewery in Newark aged it in ~150 bbl. wooden oak casks (not "barrels"), which were lined with Mammut.

 

Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale Brown Shugga’ Substitute from 2011.

 

Man, thats a good one; I forgot about that beer. Didn't it come in 40oz bottles one year?

 

Not sure if I would want a specific beer back but I think I would like to have my palate back from an earlier time when Guinness tasted like a good stout and Oberon was amazing.
It was definitely less expensive to drink beer back then!

 

I think they were quart bottles. So good.

Sierra Nevada put out a Beer Camp beer in quart bottles around that time too I believe. I'd love to see the beer camp packs come back in some capacity. They were beautiful.

Ah I must have missed that, I thought I saw the date of 2003 as the end of Pete's. All I know is that I don't recall ever seeing it

 

I really miss Sucks, and the quart bottles were cool but it kinda seemed like they were the beginning of the end. At least in my area, they really started to collect dust after the format change and I could never find it fresh, then it just disappeared altogether

 

It’s possible to be there if you want to. The Guinness Draught I had this week was fantastic… but I never lost that appreciation.

 

Thanks Jess. It’s funny how things change, in the 90s there was an attitude or belief that IPAs needed to be in in oak for six months to be authentic. And while Ballantine went out of their way to prevent any wood flavors from entering their beer, people assumed that there needed to be at least a hint of oak and some time for the hop bitterness to mellow out.

I had access to Hop Devil back when I was purchasing Woodstock, I don’t think they were too far apart in the strength/bitterness department, but that was a long time ago.

 

Sierra Nevada Harvest Wild Hop IPA - Neomexicanus Varietal. The whole series way back when was great but this really one got my attention. I'm surprised we haven't seen it incorporated in later SN IPAs but I guess that's what you get with "wild hop" varieties.

And the Southern and Northern (my preference) Harvest Wet Hop IPA Series were awesome as well.

Do you remember when bombers were king?

 

Victory's Helios. This was a glorious saison made with brettanomyces.

 

This thread is a nice trip down memory lane. Amazing how much has changed in craft.

 

Yes, it has become quite hazy of late.

Cheers!

 

Boston Ale maybe. I liked it a lot in the late 90th.
Also, I have not seen their Black Lager and Irish Red for a while. IMHO both were wonderful brews in their respective styles.

 

I was a fan of Catamount's Porter. They also had an Anniversary Ale which was an IPA -- this was when IPAs were still fun.