Conquer Club

I was looking for somewhere on this site to discuss some craft brews across US w/ other like-minded folks. My newly tapped keg of the week is Coney Island Human Blockhead(awesome American Imperial Bock, 10% ABV, malty, balanced). I'm in north Texas and know most Texas breweries but always looking for suggestions.

Now this is a thread I want to be involved in...

Though just change the title a wee bit, craft beers are a worldwide thing And I assure you NZ brewers will give our buddies accross the pacific a run for their money.

The local Harpoon Brewery in Boston might be too big to be considered a Craft Beer. Certainly their popular offerings are brewed in large batches. Though even still their IPA is my "go to" beer.

They do have special offerings and "100 Barrel Series" that are only available locally or at the brewery itself.

If you become a "friend of harpoon" you get special notice and stuff. I recently went to the opening of one of their 100 Barrel Series. It was called "Vermont Spruce Tip Ale". IPA style with actual spruce tips harvested by hand from Vermont... which added a spicy, slightly citrus flavor. You basically got 2 hours of free drinking in their "tasting room".

They do tours if you ever visit.

Microbrews are a pretty big thing here in the Pac. NW. There's a couple of excellent local breweries in my area, Rogue Brewery, Southern Oregon Brewery (S.O.B. for short) which has excellent porters. My favorite atm is probably this Double Eagle Imperial Stout from a brewery/pizza place. If you go up north to Eugene and Portland, there are hundreds of different beers and lots of beer snobs. Ninkasi is pretty much the Oregon pride; lots of good beers from them. A little south in California is Stone Brewing Co., which has the Arrogant Bastard (fucking great).

-TG

TBH, I don't know many american small batch places by name. Are we considering things like Dogfish Head and Fat Tire craft though? I know that they're technically so, because of their minute share of the market, but I would say something national is usually out of the legitimate "craft brew" game.

But whenever I go to a bar/restaurant and I have the money to drink something other than the normal swill (bud/bud light guy, myself), then I try to pick something locally brewed.

Unfortunately, my aversion to extremely hoppy, bitter, beers kinda narrows my options (as it seems that IPA is the rage nowadays), but there are plenty of lagers, pale ales, pilsners, wheat beers, etc that I've found and loved.

The one beer that I can think of off the top of my head (and albeit, they're highly rated by "everyone", so it's not a huge surprise that I'm saying it) that I find to be really delicious is Delirium Tremens. Forget what kind of beer it is, but very light tasting but flavorful brew. Main reason I can't get much into the craft game is that, for example, this one cost me 7 bucks or something around there for the bottle, in a specialty beer store!

I am just south of Portland, Oregon and there are more damn microbreweries around here than I can count.....a dude I know and his buddy are opening another one as the anchor behind a small restaurant.....they make great beer and I look forward to hanging out in the brewery once it opens ;o)

http://www.stickmenbeer.com/

I home brewed for 10 years or so (pre-kids...lol) and really enjoyed it; not fond of over-hopped brew (like IPAs)....LOVE the Russian Imperial Stouts......

ps - Breal....there are usergroups that focus on this I believe....

Alright, the beginnings of an interesting thread.

Lootifer, I didn't mean to focus exclusively on American craft brews, it's just that we in the US have had to drink imports until fairly recently for beers w/ any flavor. That said, please give me some ideas from NZ or elsewhere, just trying to add to my to drink list.

For arguments sake, let's define craft brews as breweries that produce 6 million barrels or less ea. year. So I would include New Belgium, Sierra Nevada... in the conversation, heck I'd even throw Samuel Adams in the mix.

Right now I'm relaxing w/ a cold mug of Alaskan Amber ale, not too spicy for those averse, smooth, and a touch of malt and listening to Tool.

Oh and what usergroup is that one referred to that discusses important issues like this. I searched usergroups prior to this and saw that there is one titled Fellowship of Exceptional Drinkers, is that one?

I believe thats the one....I see Hippiebroker and macbone are both members and they are good people.....shoot one of them a PM and ask ;o)