I Forgot I Like/Love That Brewery

For me, it's Mayflower. Not the greatest brewery, by any means, but every time I have something from them, I ask myself "why the hell don't I drink more of their stuff?"

 

Brewery Vivant. But I don't think it's so much 'forgetting' about them as there is just so much good beer available that I can't support every brewery with my purchases. Plus I'm drinking more draft beers to support my local breweries to help keep them 'fluid.'

 

Ipswich. I really liked the oatmeal stout, the original ale, and the dark ale. Old line English style ales of distinction.....

 

Their porter may be the best I've ever had.

 

I really like Great Lakes (Toronto, not Cleveland) stuff, but often forget it in favour of Nickel Brook or Collective Arts.

 

Boulevard. They don't get a lot of hype, so it's (too) easy to overlook the fact that they produce consistently great beers of a variety of styles.

 

I'm like an elephant in some ways. I never forget which breweries I love.

 

I had a Tank 7 from a 16 ounce can at Old Chicago yesterday and it was magnificent.

 

Do they still make The Calling? I remember getting that on a sheer whim. And it was easily one of the best IPAs I had back then, probably about 5-6ish years ago. It had so much going on both in terms of hops and yeast profile. It was so deftly balanced. Haven’t seen it since...

 

I miss Dark Horse Brewery

Scotty Karate
Plead the 5th
Fore Smoked Stout
Black Ale

All great beers

 

They're showing hints of making a comeback under the new ownership arrangement, so maybe they'll get back to where they used to be with the supply growing to the old distro footprint.

 

That's the problem (and it's a good problem) with there being so many breweries out there.
A good percentage make good, very good or excellent beers - and old guard ones will drop off the radar for the latest and greatest.

 

North Coast, my goodness is Barrel Aged Old Rasputin good!

 

I had a Sierra Nevada pale ale after not having one for years and I had forgotten how good it is.

 

@JackHorzempa brought them up in another thread, and I just realized how much I miss having Sly Fox as an option. Their Pilsner year round, the Grisette over the summer, and their Octoberfest in the fall were all solid decisions when I lived in Philly.

They're definitely one of those "nothing flashy but everything's solid" regional breweries.

 

I saw a rather full* lineup of their stuff during my last trip to the local Meijer's. So perhaps they have made some significant progress. I may need to get some more Plead the 5th, I'm almost out!
*Full for Meijer's is about 5 varieties, certainly not a full catalog of all they brew.

 

I love North Coast. BA and regular Rasputin are incredibly good. Their small line of Berliners are among the best. Scrimshaw is one of my favorite summer beers. Finding Red Seal fresh is tough, but when I do it is still amazing.

 

For me it's Oskar Blues. The name "Ten Fidy" makes my loins tingle, but it's easy to forget it's an Oskar Blues beer.

Then there's Gubna, G'Knight, and of course Dale's Pale Ale and I always find myself remembering how good this brewery is.

 

+ Firestone Walker, of course, and I only started "forgetting about them" a few years ago when Wookie Jack was discontinued.
But I still love their darker stuff, and anniversary ones. Cheers.

 

And they do periodically release hoppy beers that I enjoy drinking but needless to say it does not generate the sort of buzz like other local breweries: Tired Hands, Levante,...

Cheers!

 

Victory. Really enjoyed Hop Devil, Hop Wallop, Golden Monkey, etc. back in the day. Last had Hop Devil a couple years ago and it's been at least 5 years for Golden Monkey.

Part of the problem is they take up much less shelf space these days.

 

You forgot to mention Prima Pils.

 

I completely agree with your take on Ten Fidy, but unless you are Candice Swanepoel, I really don't wanna hear about your tingling loins!!

 

1. North Coast - Just got back into them the past 3 months after many years of not buying their product.
2. Bells - Best Brown, Cream Stout, Expedition, Java. I often move past these even though I know how good they are.
3. Maine Beer Company - Purchase a few times a year and always finish a beer saying I need to buy more often.

 

For me it's New Trail. I always seem to over look their new releases, then enjoy the hell out of them when I have one.

 

Do they still sell Dirtwolf? I don't see it in VA anymore.

 

Never been there but Waterfront out of Maine used to well a cheap IPA that was amazing for the price. They were usually 7 a sixer versus 10-11. And wey

 

Did a GR beercation/camping trip years ago. We hit the usual suspects but Brewery Vivant was the standout. Maybe it was just because I was unfamiliar with them, but we were blown away by the beer and the chef-driven fare at the pub. Best meal of the trip by far. Great place. I wish I could get that stuff in Pittsburgh.

 

Love their Stout series. When we visited them on the same trip as mentioned in my previous post I was initially disappointed that they didn't have any "brewery exclusive" stuff on tap. Then I realized they had Fore Smoked Stout for $3 a pint (I think they were trying to open the line for the next in the series). Needless to say my wife drove back to the hotel that night. Really cool spot.

 

Couldn't agree more. In the last few months I've been reminding myself of this.

 

Maine does make excellent beer, but IMO it's overpriced for what it is. 8 bucks for a 16oz bottle is too pricey.

 

Yards Brewing comes to mind. Just had their Philthy IPA and it was quite good. They aren't a sexy brewery and they don't get a ton of love on this side of the state but they make really good beer. A lot of their core lineup is low-key excellent: Philly Pale Ale, Brawler, IPA, and Love Stout - can't go wrong there. Their Cape of Good Hope DIPA changes every year but it's always top notch as well. I'd compare them to the aforementioned Sly Fox or Great Lakes in the sense that they don't do anything crazy, but they consistently crank out rock solid beer.

 

Yep, I just picked up a six of fresh Dirtwolf today in fact.

 

here's mine from WBAYDN the other day. I had forgotten how good this is, and love the 16 oz can (it did pour foamy as you can see):

 

I sometimes forget how great Anchor Porter is. Went to a wedding in a really rural area last year and they didn’t have much beer worth drinking aside from, for some reason, a bunch of Anchor Porter, and I drank quite a few. It’s delicious and full of flavor at a pretty low abv and pairs great with food - you can have it with oysters, burgers or steaks or bbq, a well curated cheese plate, a piece of chocolate cake. Super versatile.

 

That could just be west Michigan pricing. Every time I'm up there to visit in-laws, I forget how cheap beer is. The old lady's cousin lives in LA, and she's the same way. Happy hour with all local drafts $3? Can't beat that.

I do get bummed out that I won't get the 10 cent deposit back on all the stuff I buy to bring back home, though. I know that I'm only going to be out $5 or so, but it's the principle!

 

Answer to the post question: Many. There are just too many good beers out there now. We are in Nirvana and don't any of you take it for granted.
OP used New Holland as an example. I haven't had Mad Hatter in years, but I remember my first sip to this day... amazing. I will try to find some in the next few weeks.

 

Second that. As a Plymothean, I usually walk right by it, but they are solid, across the board. Alden is wprld class, & Porters is not far behind.

 

Totally agree with the Boulevard sentiment! Very good Belgian beer styles brewed by these guys and the barrel program is very enjoyable at an excellent price point. And just to let you know @Bitterbill i am very envious you have an Old Chicago still going, i miss mine terribly as one here in NW Phoenix could always get a good pizza and beer. Cheers, Tom