Recommend a Mind-Changer

Terrapin Moo-hoo is better than left hand's. I love both, but given the choice I would take moo-hoo all day. A local brewery here called Wiseacre makes a coffee milk stout that is awesome too. It's called Gotta get up to get Down. They're about to start canning it. Moo-hoo comes in bottles already though. Look for it.

For me, I usually stay away from geuze and Lambic. For the price you pay for them, they seem a little overrated to me.

 

The only Doppelbock I have had was by Treogs and it was too sweet for my taste.

Im also not a fan of Lambic's very much. Am I missing out?

 

Allagash White is pretty awesome aside from St. Bernardus Wit, which was already recommended. Hoegaarden would be worth a shot, too.

Boulevard's Two Jokers is a self-proclaimed double wit, so that may be worth looking out for if you dislike them for their subtlety.

Likely they will be hard to come by, but OEC Brewing does a very highly rated wit in Albus, and their Zymatore Isaac is a witbier aged in pinot noir and gin barrels.

 

In a word, yes, but consider yourself lucky. Think of all the money you're saving. Not every style is for everyone. Sours were the very last group of styles that I got into, but they are probably my favorite style right now.

Go grab a Lindeman's Cuvee Rene Gueuze. It's probably the cheapest and easiest to find of this expensive and rare set of styles.

I'm not sure if you're looking for recommendations in this style, but see above. If you want the very best, however, look no further than Cantillon for fruited lambics (I like St. Lam, but any will do, such as Rose de Gambrinus or Kriek, both of which are not impossible to find/trade for) and Drie Fonteinen for gueuzes and non-fruited lambics (regular Oude Gueuze will do, but Golden Blend is next level stuff).

Something you should understand is that they are not just priced highly because of some perceived stylistic excellence (though they are excellent) or because they are currently a hot item. Rather it is because the labor and care involved in making them costs so much. Any gueuze, even the worst ones, takes no less than three years to make. Managing wild yeast in order to get the desired flavor profiles is also not a walk in the park. They're very complex and require a lot of attention, a lot of investment, and a lot of time to create. If they're not your tulip of beer, that's cool, I only went on this little aside because I felt like you were asking for recommendations considering the thread.

 

Great suggestions - thank you. ...and yes, I'm not terribly into subtle.

 

Looks like you get Arcadia distro up there, so try their "Loch Down" Scotch Ale. Pretty solid.

I cannot get into barnyard Saisons. Love Clovey, peppery or bubble gum Saisons, but can't do funky.

 

Saison-Brett. Good balance on the funk. Puts it in a good light.

I can't get into sours. All those "big huge gigantic awesome fruit flavors" people write about in reviews take a back seat to the sourness for me. Anything more sour than Rodenbach Grand Cru is unappealing.

 

I have not liked any of the Belgian styles that I have tried. Three Philosophers is probably the one I liked the most, but I still wasn't crazy about it.

 

Rog, you gotta try Schell's Star of the North.

 

Try Pranqster from North Coast.

I don't like domestic, what should I try?

 

I should probably mention that none of the Belgian styles I have tried are actually FROM Belgium. So that might be a "DUH!".

 

Domestic?

 

After trying Delirium Nocturnum and being really disappointed, I have avoided any Belgian Strong Dark Ale. Any ideas that would be worth trying this style again?

 

Give Van De kaiser Blau a try, if you like port wine, this will be right up your alley.

Other than Bourbon County Brand Barleywine, I haven't had a barleywine that I've enjoyed. I've tried Bigfoot, Insanity, Gnarleywine and I just couldn't get into them. Somebody save me.

 

Unibroue's Trois Pistoles or La Terrible are the best I've had with a wide distribution footprint.

(Or you could always go for St. Bernardus Abt 12 or Rochefort 10, since BSDA and quad are almost synonyms. BSDA just means "we're trying to make this more unique".)

 

Give De Ranke Guldenburg a try

 

I haven't found a wheat beer I enjoy although I haven't done much searching. I'm also not a fan of sour beers.

 

If you haven't tried allagash white yet, it's pretty flawless. If you don't like that, than wheat beers probably aren't for you. For sours, love child #4 is probably my favorite so far, though I just got into them recently.

I haven't had a pilsner that wowed me, but I haven't really tried many either.

 

Have only had three. The best was Bull in a China Shop by Bell's, but not sure if they bottle that. Alesmith Old Numbskull was also good. The third I had was Irish Walker by Olde Hickory, didn't care much for it.

 

I like some sour beer, sure. Tilquin's gueuze and plum lambics, Girardin 1882, Goose Island Halia...these are all delicious. I think it's probably the vinegary flavor in the Flemish ones I don't care for. That and they don't seem to be dry enough for me.

But I will probably try the Rodenbach's or Oude Tart someday, they are pretty easy to find. Still haven't tried Goudenband or however it's spelled either.