The "Perfect" Six Pack

Backwoods Bastard
Petrus Aged Pale
Orval
Lagunitas Sucks
Sublimely Self Righteous
Plead the Fifth

 

Why drink six when you can drink 9?

 

My perfect reasonably-available-seasonals-are-okay-best-in-style sixer is as follows

Saison: Boulevard Tank 7
Why: Because it is the best available American saison, imho, and a beer that I can drink at anytime. They were also one of the earliest (that I can recall) to do a hopped-up take on the style.

Stout: Founders Imperial Stout
Why: It's just such a great and versatile beer. Easily my favorite non-BA stout, and has enough depth of character to hold it's own against the complexity of BA stouts

IPA: Schlafly Tasmanian IPA
Why: Single-hopped with the citrusy Galaxy hop, Tasmanian IPA gives new meaning to the term "hop juice". It's one of the juiciest IPAs that you can purchase.

Rye Beer: Founders Red's Rye
Why: If you like rye and hops, that is why. I know they recently re-named it as an IPA, but I don't care. The rye character is what makes this beer so unique. For the first two (or so) months of it's life, it is a big hoppy, bright brew with significant spicy and sour characteristics of rye grain. After that, it loses a lot of the hop brightness, but retains it's rye characteristic to be an outstanding rye beer.

Gueuze - Tilquin Oude Gueuze
Why: Because if you are a Cantillon lover, this is the best way to get your fix without 1) being lucky and finding 'Loon on a shelf somewhere, 2) Paying an arm and a leg to ship from Belgium, or 3) Going to Brussels. Made by blending Cantillon lambics, I don't give a shit that it's technically not a 12 oz bottle because dammit, I can cram it into a sixer cardboard carrier all the same.

Pale Ale: GF Rayon Vert / Orval
Why: Because RV is a funky, brett-tastic American take on the Belgian classic. But I listed Orval as well because GF has discontinued 12 oz bottles of RV*. And no, I don't care that Orval doesn't come in 12 oz bottles any more than I cared that Tilquin doesn't. They both can fit in a six pack carrier.


*shakes fist at Green Flash

 

My list that will change in a week and is a little hop heavy...

Lagunitas Sucks
Fat Head's Head Hunter
Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald
Founder's Breakfast Stout
Bell's Two Hearted Ale
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

All readily available in western PA and delicious.

 

Sucks
Founders Porter
Expedition
Dortmunder Gold
Sculpin
DC Brau The Public

Might change my answer every five minutes though.

 

1)St Bernardus ABT 12-great with a lot of different fancy foods
2)Anchor Porter-great with BBQ and a lot of other earthy foods
3)Sea hag-best easily accessible IPA in my neck of the woods, awesome with **** foods but not too overwhelming
4)Founders Imperial Stout-how the hell is it this good? also great with rich desserts (cheesecake, ice cream)
5) Big Foot-need a barley wine and its one of the only ones that is easily found. would prefer a barrel aged one, but those are tough to find.
6) BCBS-my favorite 12oz easy to get bourbon barrel aged imperial stout

It sucks my top 10 beers are not easily accesible or in twelve ounce bottles, but the ones above are still great

 

Care to explain to me what I can't read right since I'm such a dumbass?

I used his categories since I thought they were solid. KBS is a very sought after beer, but it's no Dark Lord and has a very large distribution. Regarding the IPA/DIPA thing, I was using HIS categories, so I was trying to stay in his lines.

So why feel the need to be such a dick about my response. Internet bullies are no fun.

 

Ok so I have been thinking about this for a while. I want to make the perfect six pack. What is the perfect six pack you ask? Well I am making up the "rules" right now so lets work this out!

1. The beer must come in 12oz form.
2. It must be reasonably available. No brewery only releases. Nothing that is only on shelves for a few hours. Seasonal beers are fine.
3.It must be a perfect example of that style. Think of it like "best in show" for that given style.

you mentioned KBS in your response, and by all accounts, it isn't something that stays on shelves very long. I probably shouldn't have been a dick about it though - you are right

 

Ok, so define "very long". It doesn't stay around for months, probably not even weeks. However, most people that really want to get some that live in an area where it's distributed can get it. It's not on the same level as say Darklord or KTG or Darkness, now those stay on the shelves for hours.......if that.

Thanks for rescinding being a dick, it's appreciated.

 

It was distributed to the area that I live, but I couldn't even get a sniff of it. Due to the limited number of cases that the accounts around here got (usually not more than 3 cases), KBS dried up in a matter of hours in my parts.

 

I'd go for a variety of approaches- something hoppy, something funky, something big, something quaffable, etc. Well, as much variety as I can do in only six bottles, and all top notch stuff, naturally. I'm also playing the '375 ml is close enough' card.

Augustiner Edelstoff
Ayinger Celebrator
Orval
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot
Ithaca Flower Power
BCBS

 

2 Deschute's Fresh Squeezed IPA's
2 Ale Asylum Bedlam Belgian Style IPA's
2 Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ales

 

Hitachino Nest White Ale
Sixpoint Sweet Action
Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
Stone Enjoy By IPA
Oskar Blues G'Knight Red IIPA
Founders Breakfast Stout

I'm mainly an IPA guy and probably would have had an easier decision making a 6-pack of strictly IPAs, but I threw in two lower alcohol beers and the only stout you can get me to drink because how could you not enjoy that shit.... Also on a side note Green Flash Palate Wrecker and Lagunitas Hop Stoopid would have made this if Bombers were made in 6-packs... Life's Short, Don't Sip ************s

 

Stone IPA
Dogfish Head Burton Baton
Stoudt's Fat Dog
Weihenstephaner Hefe
Deschutes Black Butte Porter
Victory Headwaters Pale Ale

--OR--

Lagunitas IPA
Dogfish Head 90 Minute
Victory Storm King Stout
Allagash White
Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock
Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale

 

The best six pack is the one you have in hand. For me right now picked up 2 days ago:

1. Founders KBS
2. Westmalle Dubbel
3. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 14'
4. Ommegang Glimmerglass Saison
5. Terrapin Mosaic Red Rye IPA
6. Smuttynose Summer Weizen

Looking forward to each and every one of them, surprisingly the Ommegang Glimmerglass the most.

 

Sierra Nevada Summerfest
Founders Porter
JW Lees Harvest Ale with some age
Schlenkerla Urbock (bending the rules)
Bell's Black Note (bending the rules again)
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier

 

I don't care for your rules.

Beatification batch 1 through 6.

 

Readily available and lower ABV

Pilsner Urquell
Hacker-Pschorr Dunkle Weiss
21st Amendment Bitter American
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Anchor Steam Beer
Deschutes Black Butte Porter

 

Fat Heads Head Hunter
Sixpoint Bengali Tiger
Finch Secret Stache Stout
Great Divide Hercules
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot
Carton Boat Beer

All of these are readily available nearby save Boat Beer. But that is an incredible session beer and it would certainly be in any ideal sixpack of mine.