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[Bitmap Frogs]

Bit of a bloggy post!

There's been a belgian beer specialist near my home for years and a few months ago I was bored a weekend when all my socials were off somewhere and visited the shop. Since then I've been regularly buying their specialty belgian beer and I'm not talking Leffe or Chimay, nono, I'm talking actual specialty! If you know your beers i'll namedrop some: dupont, blaugies, brasserie de la senne, musketeers, westmalle, black sheep, etc etc. I've been developing a bit of a beer palate, tasting them and so on.

Thing is, I've always have had a complicated relationship with easily available beers in spain, spanish beers. I never liked them, period. I only found two that I would be OK drinking, the rest were vile stuff. Living in Catalonia, our "standard" beers are Estrella Damn and Xibeca, and truth be told I always hated them.

So it's Saturday and I am out of my specialty stuff but I have some Estrella de Galicia - which is universally acclaimed as "the best spanish beer" by well, spaniards. People go apeshit about this, and spots that stock it sell stupid amounts of the stuff - why doesn't everyone stock it? Because Damn which is our local big brewery in Catalonia is always kicking back money to bars and restaurants in exchange for exclusivity. And here I am sitting at home drinking Estrella de Galicia and I realize why people like it: it's just an inoffensive beer... no off flavors, no weird chemical acidity, no harsh-aggressive co2, just a generic smoothed out malty-nutty flavor and a bit of clean bitterness to finish. It's quite boring and uninteresting. And it's the best! *

So yeah, having good shit will ruin normal shit for you, and also in spain we might have great food but our beers suck.

Have you had similar experiences?

*for locals trying to defend their region beer: mahou, san miguel, aragonesa, amstel, alhambra, etc all bad as well

 

[hybrid_birth]

Have yet to taste a good beer. All the beer I've tasted tastes like festering 50 year old saliva from a pigs mouth.

Don't ask how I know. My friends told me it's water and gave me pig spit.

 

[Jsisto]

To me, there’s nothing quite like a good stout on tap…whether it’s a Guinness or a craft brew. But yeah….for the most part when you’ve had good beer, the mass market stuff just tastes like the piss it is.

 

[Dutchy]

Not a beer fan at all but I do love Belgian Kriek. It's got like strawberry and cherry in it, two things I can imagine beer enjoyers don't want in their drink lol

 

[Jsisto]

Also have to add the modern obsession with IPAs is horrible. I’ll drink one if it’s all that’s on offer, but I’d never order one willingly. Are we through with pretending IPAs are enjoyable yet?

 

[22:22:22]

Yes. Thought I didn't liked beer (heineken) till my early 30's when I discovered Belgium craft beer. Leffe, La Chouffe, Affligem etc. Love the triple variations that are just below 10% alchohol.

 

[22:22:22]

Also have to add the modern obsession with IPAs is horrible. I’ll drink one if it’s all that’s on offer, but I’d never order one willingly. Are we through with pretending IPAs are enjoyable yet?

IPA's are great #subjective experience

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

Not a beer fan at all but I do love Belgian Kriek. It's got like strawberry and cherry in it, two things I can imagine beer enjoyers don't want in their drink lol

Ohh! I've stayed away from lambics and krieks but not like purposefully, I want to try them, just been exploring other genres. I'm currently fascinated by saisons and belgian hybrid IPAs (seriously I could stock my fridge with nothing but troubadour magma and be happy for life).

To me, there’s nothing quite like a good stout on tap…whether it’s a Guinness or a craft brew. But yeah….for the most part when you’ve had good beer, the mass market stuff just tastes like the piss it is.

I can't get stout on tap sadly.

Also have to add the modern obsession with IPAs is horrible. I’ll drink one if it’s all that’s on offer, but I’d never order one willingly. Are we through with pretending IPAs are enjoyable yet?

Belgian IPAs and hybrid IPAs have some very interesting properties, not like standard IPAs. Worth trying, but then again I like hops so I am a biased person.

Yes. Thought I didn't liked beer (heineken) till my early 30's when I discovered Belgium craft beer. Leffe, La Chouffe, Affligem etc. Love the triple variations that are just below 10% alchohol.

I recently had a westmalle triple (which i think fits your description) and I have to say they're incredible!

 

[22:22:22]

9% Belgium Magic

 

[Hohenheim]

I always prefer a regular beer over any of the fancy stuff.

 

[Boralf]

Just wondering, do they also have Westvleteren 12 there?

 

[DeafTourette]

The BEST beer I've ever had... Both for taste and alcohol content was Gouden Carolus at E3 both years I went there BTS with CD Projekt Red... I need this in the States:

 

[SJRB]

Once you've tasted the nectar of the gods there is no returning to the obscenely average taste of regular beer.

I only have triples, "blond" and heavy dark beers in my fridge.

 

[Nitty_Grimes]

Am looking forward to trying this one if I can ever shift this feeling shit bug I have.

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

I always prefer a regular beer over any of the fancy stuff.

Drink whatever you enjoy, I won't pretend to know what tastes good to you more than you do

Just wondering, do they also have Westvleteren 12 there?

They do! Very expensive beer tho wow! Now I want to try it hahaha.

The BEST beer I've ever had... Both for taste and alcohol content was Gouden Carolus at E3 both years I went there BTS with CD Projekt Red... I need this in the States:

The guy who manages the shop told me he really likes carolus.

Am looking forward to trying this one if I can ever shift this feeling shit bug I have.

I hope you feel better soon that bottle looks good!

 

[Boralf]

They do! Very expensive beer tho wow! Now I want to try it hahaha.

How expensive is it? It was like 10 euro here per bottle (Netherlands) years ago. And I think it's only like a few euro's at the abbey? Its supposed to only be bought at the abbey where it is brewed, so that's why it's so expensive. It tastes really good. If you want something similar btw, you could try St. Bernardus Abt 12.

 

[Thaedolus]

My problem was I never met a beverage with ethanol in it I didn’t like…cheap beer or fancy beer goes down the same over here

 

[ahtlas7]

I don’t drink often so when I do it has to be the best. I reach for

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

How expensive is it? It was like 10 euro here per bottle (Netherlands) years ago. And I think it's only like a few euro's at the abbey? Its supposed to only be bought at the abbey where it is brewed, so that's why it's so expensive. It tastes really good. If you want something similar btw, you could try St. Bernardus Abt 12.

They have several years, ranging from 16€ to 30€ depending on the year. The shop is owned by a belgian which I imagine makes it easier for him to find these very limited products. I still think it's insane there's so much demand the abbey sells it for like 4-5 per bottle and you end up paying double or triple or more for it.

I don’t drink often so when I do it has to be the best. I reach for

I got to try this one!

 

[22:22:22]

Belgium beer #W

 

[RJMacready73]

My tipple of choice tonite is a Moretti

 

[Dr. Claus]

Bit of a bloggy post!

There's been a belgian beer specialist near my home for years and a few months ago I was bored a weekend when all my socials were off somewhere and visited the shop. Since then I've been regularly buying their specialty belgian beer and I'm not talking Leffe or Chimay, nono, I'm talking actual specialty! If you know your beers i'll namedrop some: dupont, blaugies, brasserie de la senne, musketeers, westmalle, black sheep, etc etc. I've been developing a bit of a beer palate, tasting them and so on.

Thing is, I've always have had a complicated relationship with easily available beers in spain, spanish beers. I never liked them, period. I only found two that I would be OK drinking, the rest were vile stuff. Living in Catalonia, our "standard" beers are Estrella Damn and Xibeca, and truth be told I always hated them.

So it's Saturday and I am out of my specialty stuff but I have some Estrella de Galicia - which is universally acclaimed as "the best spanish beer" by well, spaniards. People go apeshit about this, and spots that stock it sell stupid amounts of the stuff - why doesn't everyone stock it? Because Damn which is our local big brewery in Catalonia is always kicking back money to bars and restaurants in exchange for exclusivity. And here I am sitting at home drinking Estrella de Galicia and I realize why people like it: it's just an inoffensive beer... no off flavors, no weird chemical acidity, no harsh-aggressive co2, just a generic smoothed out malty-nutty flavor and a bit of clean bitterness to finish. It's quite boring and uninteresting. And it's the best! *

So yeah, having good shit will ruin normal shit for you, and also in spain we might have great food but our beers suck.

Have you had similar experiences?

*for locals trying to defend their region beer: mahou, san miguel, aragonesa, amstel, alhambra, etc all bad as well

I don't drink beer or alcohol of any sort. Not particularly interested in losing myself in vices that can cause loss of mental awareness and acuity, but glad it exists for those that wish to do it safely.

However, I think I have had a similar experience with coffee. For years I hated it, thought it tasted like bitter dirt, but drank it only because I often had to work odd hours and needed to be awake. Then I decided to splurge on 3 things: Cloth Filters, Pour Over container, high end whole bean coffee. It completely changed my world. Coffee tastes good now, I look forward to my one cup every morning, and like trying out new beans.

Coffee is love.

Coffee is life.

 

[12Goblins]

I used to only drink the finer stuff, ie leffe, hoegaarden, etc but now I stick to Becks. Hard to beat for the price IMO

 

[IntentionalPun]

I have thousands of dollars of rare beer in my temp controlled beer cellar but still grab a case of Modello cans when I just want to get fucked up and do coke out of strippers buttholes.

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

However, I think I have had a similar experience with coffee. For years I hated it, thought it tasted like bitter dirt, but drank it only because I often had to work odd hours and needed to be awake. Then I decided to splurge on 3 things: Cloth Filters, Pour Over container, high end whole bean coffee. It completely changed my world. Coffee tastes good now, I look forward to my one cup every morning, and like trying out new beans.

So, pretty much paralel experiences here you with coffee me with beer. I never had beer at home neither consumed it, F&F knew if they came home and wanted beer they had to bring it themselves. I only had it occasionally with food and then you discover the good stuff and suddenly realized the issue wasn't that you didn't like it, the problem was with the quality of the generally available product.

 

[Mistake]

Beer is more about the food you pair it with. Try different combinations and see how you feel.

As for me, my ruined food is sushi. I went to Japan a lot, and now sushi everywhere else is garbage

 

[Trogdor1123]

I got a buddy that is a brewmaster and he makes some incredible stuff. He also says it can insufferable how pretentious some beer drinkers get. It’s a fucking beer, not art.

Edit:
Reread this and it sounds like I’m talking to the people in this thread, I’m not. I’m talking about the people that turn into jerks and look down on others for what they like. Nothing wrong (in fact it’s good) in drinking superior beer.

 

[BadBurger]

It didn't even take truly high-end beer to ruin the cheap stuff for me. I was at a movie theater of all places when I had my first pint of Blue Moon Belgium White from a tap with a slice of orange in it. After two sips I knew I was forever done with the likes of Budweiser or Miller Lite.

Having good quality, top shelf whiskey also ruined the cheap stuff for me. After drinking the truly good stuff, with its mild flavor and no burn, you realize what skunk the $30 - $40 stuff really is.

 

[Fbh]

Thankfully no.
Don't take me wrong, the regular cheap stuff is not even in the same league...but it's still enjoyable.
It's like a burger. The one from a proper burger place is always much better than the fast food stuff, but if I'm hungry and you hand me a double quarter pounder with cheese from Mcdonalds I'll still enjoy it

Also have to add the modern obsession with IPAs is horrible. I’ll drink one if it’s all that’s on offer, but I’d never order one willingly. Are we through with pretending IPAs are enjoyable yet?

Nah, love them.
Though that's one type of beer where you REALLY notice the difference in quality IMO. When IPAs got popular all the cheap brands started releasing their own and most of them suck.

 

[Winter John]

Can confirm Spanish beer tastes like Michigan tap water. It ain’t a surprise. They’re wine people. Beer ain’t their thing. What you want to do is go for their Sangria. For sure it looks weird as fuck. Wine and oranges and shit. It’s confusing. You get a pitcher of that and you’re wondering what the fuck is going on in this backwards ass country. Wine and oranges, the fuck? So what I did was pour a bunch of rum in the pitcher and it fixed that shit right up. 2 pitchers of that and for sure you’re gonna be so retarded you’ll actually enjoy their beer.

 

[RedC]

Good sex has ruined normal sexy for me.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

Beers?

I used to up to around 27'ish. Then you get serious taste buds

 

[Woggleman]

There is a bar near me that has Stella on tap and I can't find beer that tastes that good anywhere else. I buy Stella in the store and I just doesn't taste the same. They also have good Sam Adams on tap which is the only mass market domestic beer I really like. There are locals and crafts that are good as well.

 

[jason10mm]

If "lite" beers are your "normal beer" that's the issue. Even regular Miller, coors, or bud are giant steps up from their watery lite brethren.

Sam Adams used to hold the line as the only non lite you might see in an airport, theater, or cheap sports bar, but now there is a good diversity almost anywhere. A solid lager, pilsner, or bock for casual day drinking is just fine, no one pounds quads, double ipas, or Russian imperials on the reg.

 

[CityHunter1981]

I have a similar experience with tv shows. These high budget tv series from the streaming providers have just such better actors, better design and effects that it’s hard to go back to normal tv shows, where you often see the budget limitations.

 

[Durien]

Sake is like this for me. I used to drink the heated house sake before I knew better. After visiting a ton of sake breweries with my wife, sampling the wares and buying a wide variety, I no longer drink warm sake and prefer chilled. Also, if you haven't tried it yet, try sake that has been put in oak barrels (it's called Taru Sake). It gives it a "spicier flavor" and I found it pairs really well with Japanese Curry. I think the weirdest sake I tried was red rice sake. It was "ooookaaayyy" but nothing I would buy again. Best sake I had was at a sake brewery in Nagano. The sake master let us (my wife and I) drink right after they pressed it. Holy crap...heaven.

 

[Raven117]

Nah. Time and a place for all of it.

(But 9 times out of 10… rather drink something else. I’m a grown up and prefer better booze)

 

[sono]

Barrel : Old Peculiar

Bottle : Moretti

 

[diffusionx]

Not really. Actually if I go out to watch a game or whatever I will usually do a good beer or two (Kane Head High is a frequent go-to) then downgrade until I end with a Miller Lite.

The beer situation in large parts of continental Europe is mostly dire, but it's a different culture.

Also have to add the modern obsession with IPAs is horrible. I’ll drink one if it’s all that’s on offer, but I’d never order one willingly. Are we through with pretending IPAs are enjoyable yet?

I know this is said about everything, but it really is an acquired taste.

 

[Rentahamster]

I hear ya, Mister Frog.

Cheers to good beers

 

[Hudo]

Have yet to taste a good beer. All the beer I've tasted tastes like festering 50 year old saliva from a pigs mouth.

Don't ask how I know. My friends told me it's water and gave me pig spit.

I am with you. I have yet to drink a beer that doesn't taste like shit. And I am only drinking alcohol at social gatherings, etc. And I have tried most of the major European brands and some German craft beer ones as well. They all taste like shit to me. I have actually come to accept that beer and other alcoholic beverages just aren't for me.

 

[Fart Knight]

 

[ForAcademicPurposes]

Bitburger is my jam.

Beers?

I used to up to around 27'ish. Then you get serious taste buds

My weapon of choice:

I only drink beer when I'm in Germany.

 

[NeonGhost]

All beer taste the same

 

[Pejo]

I think high quality alcohol has given me a much better perspective on what's out there, but hasn't really ruined anything for me. When I was young, I went with whatever was cheapest without even thinking of secondary or tertiary aspects, but now that I've had the truly high quality (and usually expensive) stuff, it's just given me a great view of the many subtleties and variations. I have a nice mix in my cabinet of various pricey Scotch/Irish/Japanese whiskeys in addition to some Bourbon/Rye and various specialties.

I also think that some of the cheap stuff is superior to other cheap stuff.

For instance this:

is a fantastic super budget friendly bourbon. It mixes well for simple mix drinks, and has a nice sweetness and smoothness for a $20/half gallon pricetag whiskey. Will it hit the same notes as a premium Jack Daniels Select or a craft whiskey? Absolutely not but it's 1000x better than some of the other bottom shelf options.

Also, I just want to take a minute to represent the absolute pinnacle of high quality cheap beer (in my opinion):

When I first turned 21 you could get a 6 pack of this treasure for $3.65. It was cheaper than water and has a damn fine refreshing taste. It was also available in the classic "Beer Ball" which was somewhere between 2 cases and a half keg.

 

[Soodanim]

I've always been more of a cider man, and there's a tier system for that:
Still > Cloudy > Good flavoured > Basic > Bad flavoured

Thatchers Cloudy is what I usually get as my regular home drink. It's a nice crisp, refreshing cider that is great to wash down dinner.

By good flavoured I mean something like Thatchers Lemon. It's a great summer drink. Very refreshing. Bad flavoured is Koppaberg. It's just sugary fizzy drinks.

Regular access to cloudy cider has absolutely killed my tolerance for the basic ciders lots of pubs and restaurants have, so I've been stepping out into the world of lagers, beers, and pale ales. A nice bottle of Cobra or Efes is infinitely better than whatever waste of apples a lot of places serve - and that includes Strongbow and Magners.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

It's quite interesting how local flavours and familiarity can make things that are very common and unremarkable in one location seem exotic or premium in another.

I'm not a big beer snob but I have started drinking wheat beer most of the time now which most places I go don't seem to have even heard of.

One of the places I go to irregularly carries 3 different types, and I can never remember which of the 3 very German sounding names I prefer.

In the mainstream, I very much like Blue Moon and Leffe. I recently tried Kronenbourg's take on it, which is ok.

If that's not available, I tend to go for any lager, but I like Estrella and Asahi. I also like Coors light (sorry not sorry).

 

[Tieno]

The BEST beer I've ever had... Both for taste and alcohol content was Gouden Carolus at E3 both years I went there BTS with CD Projekt Red... I need this in the States:

I really like it too. I'm from the city where the Gouden Carolus brewery is (Het Anker)There's some speciality beer's they make too, like a whiskey infused version (https://www.hetanker.be/en/our-products)
They have a restaurant at their brewery and we often went dining there.

It's a legit good beer, one of my favorites, together with some Geuze beers, Rochefort and Westmalle

 

[Embearded]

Same thing happened to me back in 2013 when one of the best pubs in the world according to ratebeer, opened in my town.

Since then i've tasted beers thst couldn't have come here.
When i go to the pub I usually start with a Weiss, i move on to a good fruity IPA and close with a bice inperial stout.

One of the best beers i've had was Mikkeller Black Hole special edition on tap.

 

[Ownage]

Gonna go against the grain here (pun), but there's nothing like good garage beer on a hot day. Ice cold PBR... some good stuff.