Spotted Cow is a pretty darn good all around choice that the OP noted. I need to get out to Wisconsin and New Glarus sometime. Defintely a bucket list brewery destination from everything I’ve heard.
Give me any Barrique Czech lager or non-hoppy pils, but for the more available option, Sierra Nevada pale ale every time. Perfectly balanced, very flavorful but still extremely easy to drink, and extremely easy to find and consistent.
To me occasion beers are revisits of old favorites, I don't like surprises during occasions. The exception is "drinking on it's own at home", that's when I'm most likely to be trying a new beer. Be Hoppy by Wormtown comes to mind or any of my favorite imports. During holidays with friends over, a favorite Brown Ale because that's my favorite style group and most of my friends aren't beer fans. At weddings I'll take whatever is decent. Now if food is involved (with or without other people), I try to match a pale lager by culture or region; ex. Mexican food with Corona, Shnitzel with Bitburger, Peroni with Steak alla Mama and so on. Cheers.
I wanted to validate my parking by saying I got an unfortunately almost 5 month old 6pk of SNPA this evening, since it's been 6 months since I've drank it and it would've been a pain to get to a store with fresh beer (my preferred stores are 45 minutes away). Still fantastically balanced but quite bitter and very drinkable. That and playing some Mastodon tracks were definitely the highlights of my day, alongside some toasted homemade sourdough.
If there was a Beer for Every Occasion what has come to be known as "craft beer" in America and many breweries and their beers around the world wouldn't exist.
Top of mind is what others have proposed: Pilsner Urquell. But really any good quality Pilsner, Kolsch, or Altbier would fit all the OP's scenarios for me.
I’m going with Firestone Walker’s Pivo Pils, or Russian River’s STS Pils. After mowing the lawn, out on the lake, grilling a steak, watching the ballgame, as a roadie, in the shower, just before a nap, home from work, munching chips & salsa, on a hike. First thing in the morning on WBAYDN. Versatile. Goes with everything.
Why not a 'mash up' of the two: STIVO Pils. Cheers! P.S. I have had draft pints of STIVO in the past and those beers were excellent.
This is where my head is at as well. Since it should go with food, it should be either a sour or a lager. While I do like the Duchesse suggestion, I think sours are overall too sharp to drink all the time. And, if it's a lager and is meant to be drank in any season including winter, it's got to have some malt body to it. So I'm gonna go with Red Oak Bavarian Lager. It even has a bit of yeasty richness to it that gives it some complexity but is easily approachable and at a perfect 5% abv https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2951/672635/
Excellent idea! I forgot about that beer. Just looked it up, I gave it a 4.45 Now you have me dreaming of the beers that were so accessible when I lived in CA, but are now much harder to get in TX
None! Unless you count Long Trail's Ale and Double Bag, but even for them I usually have to cross the border to find fresh stock at reasonable prices.
I would pick Moon Man over Spotted Cow. My actual choice would be SNPA as it’s easy drinking, tasty and lower on the ABV. I think it matches up with almost anything, when it’s 100 plus outside I am not in the mood for any beer, rather water or a gin and seltzer with fresh lime Enjoy
I occasionally find Altbier at some local craft breweries but that is a rare thing. I homebrew my own Altbier (Stike version) to get my fix. I have a case+ in my beer fridge in the cellar. I really wish this beer style was more popular with craft breweries. Prost!
Definitely do not want to turn this into a political discussion, but my wife and I are retired and partially rely on our 401k investments. So the recent tanking of the S&P is a definite concern for us. Frankly, I suspect it is for a lot of people. I'm hopeful, of course, that the current downturn will reverse course in the not too distant future, but for now, this qualifies as a pretty big "boo hoo" in our household.
