Beer (and beer pics!)

#10,326
#10,326
RockyTop411 said:
Does anyone have a suggestion to transition from light beers to craft beers?

I've heard Samuel Adams is great to start off with.
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I would start off by going to Kroger's or Food City and building a six pack. Try not to get anything from InBev, MillerCoors, or any of the giants. Some stuff is marketed as craft, but has actually been bought out (or created) by the giants. Blue Moon, Shock Top, Goose Island, Leinenkugel's, Magic Hat #9, Kona, and Red Hook all come to mind as fake craft beers. I think a good introductory six pack would include Sam Adam's Boston Lager, Highland Gaelic Ale, Sweetwater 420, Sweetwater IPA, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and Fat Tire. These are the big dogs in the craft beer world and have some pretty solid offerings without being too whacky or experimental. Find a couple of brews that you like as a staple, and include one or two of those in each built six pack while varying the other 4 selections every time to keep expanding your horizons.
 
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#10,327
#10,327
SamRebel35 said:
I would start off by going to Kroger's or Food City and building a six pack. Try not to get anything from InBev, MillerCoors, or any of the giants. Some stuff is marketed as craft, but has actually been bought out (or created) by the giants. Blue Moon, Shock Top, Goose Island, Leinenkugel's, Magic Hat #9, Kona, and Red Hook all come to mind as fake craft beers. I think a good introductory six pack would include Sam Adam's Boston Lager, Highland Gaelic Ale, Sweetwater 420, Sweetwater IPA, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and Fat Tire. These are the big dogs in the craft beer world and have some pretty solid offerings without being too whacky or experimental. Find a couple of brews that you like as a staple, and include one or two of those in each built six pack while varying the other 4 selections every time to keep expanding your horizons.
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But wouldn't the "faux craft beers" be better as a gateway, or at least as good? Magic hat and blue moon were actually the first beers that I really liked. Let people try their teeth on those and then move into true craft beers.
 
#10,328
#10,328
Goose island is owned by InBev but still makes world class beer...the sisters, bourbon county seires, etc.

As far as gateway, I would just go to a place with a lot of taps and get a flight. Have the server help you out. Find something you like and then go to the store and get some there.
 
#10,329
#10,329
Had Polestar Pilsner from Left Hand Brewing Co. (Colorado) last night and it was definitely one of the best beers I've had in a while.
 
#10,330
#10,330
turambar85 said:
But wouldn't the "faux craft beers" be better as a gateway, or at least as good? Magic hat and blue moon were actually the first beers that I really liked. Let people try their teeth on those and then move into true craft beers.
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From a taste perspective, these are on par with some of the mediocre to decent craft beers. But the craft movement is as much about supporting unique smaller breweries as it is drinking good beer. So if you are interested in only the taste of craft beer, these might do for you as introductory brews, but there are comparable tasting brews at that price point that are actually considered "craft". So imo, might as well get actual craft beer and jump in with both feet.
 
#10,331
#10,331
Your palate has to change and doing what SR suggested is a good start. Probably 5 years ago I wouldn't have been able to say that I tried beers that have little flavor. All I drank was mass produced light beer. Now, I even try some craft beers that I don't care for because they are too light.

Even if you don't like dark beers, there are some really good craft pale ales, ambers, and ESB's. SR was right on with the popular crafts as Fat Tire was probably my first big craft beer that I drank on a regular basis. The mass produced stuff tastes like water now, and I only keep it around during the summer to be mass consumed around the pool.
 
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#10,332
#10,332
VolGee4 said:
The mass produced stuff tastes like water now, and I only keep it around during the summer to be mass consumed around the pool.
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This is a downside to expanding and refining your palate. I think it's probably worth it, but there is a trade-off: cheap beer doesn't taste good and just doesn't make me happy anymore. (At least the flavor doesn't.)
 
#10,334
#10,334
RockyTop411 said:
Does anyone have a suggestion to transition from light beers to craft beers?

I've heard Samuel Adams is great to start off with.
Click to expand...

Just drink whatever you like. I may judge you for what you drink, but that's fine. I'm an *******.

If you want to expand your beer horizons, there are a couple of good ways to do it. If you're still in Knoxville, there are only a hand full of local breweries, but that's a great way to be exposed to new and different things. Knoxville has Saw Works, which I don't care for, but that's just me. They also have Downtown Grill and Brewery which has some solid beers.

I'm not sure if Saw Works gives tours, but just up the road in the Nashville metro area you have Yazoo (the only craft brewery in Tennessee), Mayday, Fat Bottom, Tennessee Brew Works, Jackapole, Black Abby, Honky Tonk, and several others. Most, if not all, of these places offer tours where you get to sample some, if not all of their beers for somewhere in the ten dollar range.

In Knoxville, you have approximately eleventy billion Casual Pint locations, all which have a large selection of different and sometimes unusual beers. You also have the Bearden Beer Market, which is along the same vein. They're a little more laid back, tho.

Also, on the topic of a brewery like Goose Island, those places can still produce quality beer. Goose Island was purchased because they were successful. It's just good business. There's a brewery called Cerveza De Los Muertos which may or may not be owned by Miller-Coors. I don't care if they are. I like their beers.
 
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#10,335
#10,335
Aavoxx said:
Just drink whatever you like. I may judge you for what you drink, but that's fine. I'm an *******.

If you want to expand your beer horizons, there are a couple of good ways to do it. If you're still in Knoxville, there are only a hand full of local breweries, but that's a great way to be exposed to new and different things. Knoxville has Saw Works, which I don't care for, but that's just me. They also have Downtown Grill and Brewery which has some solid beers.

I'm not sure if Saw Works gives yours, but just up the road in the Nashville metro area you have Yazoo (the only craft brewery in Tennessee), Mayday, Fat Bottom, Tennessee Brew Works, Jackapole, Black Abby, Honky Tonk, and several others. Most, if not all, of these places offer tours where you get to sample some, if not all of their beers for somewhere in the ten dollar range.

In Knoxville, you have approximately eleventy billion Casual Pint locations, all which have a large selection of different and sometimes unusual beers. You also have the Bearden Beer Market, which is along the same vein. They're a little more laid back, tho.

Also, on the topic of a brewery like Goose Island, those places can still produce quality beer. Goose Island was purchased because they were successful. It's just good business. There's a brewery called Cerveza De Los Muertos which may or may not be owned by Miller-Coors. I don't care if they are. I like their beers.
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Freudian slip?
 
#10,342
#10,342
If in Murfreesboro, I would go to green dragon public house. Good food and while not a ton of taps, what joe has on tap is strong.

As far as 12 south, that is my favorite tap house. I'm just not a fan of flying saucer.

Also...Aavox...did you say in your post that Yazoo is the only craft brewery in Tennessee?
 
#10,344
#10,344
VolnTitan said:
If in Murfreesboro, I would go to green dragon public house. Good food and while not a ton of taps, what joe has on tap is strong.

As far as 12 south, that is my favorite tap house. I'm just not a fan of flying saucer.

Also...Aavox...did you say in your post that Yazoo is the only craft brewery in Tennessee?
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SamRebel35 said:
I noticed that too.
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Yup. To be defined as a craft brewery you must do at least 20,000 barrels a year. Anything less is considered a microbrewery. Yazoo did 21,000 in 2013 or 2014.

I'm not sure what the next threshold is, but Sam Adams does something like six million a year and they are still considered a craft brewery.
 
#10,345
#10,345
Really a little picky in your description. Safe to say that Yazoo is the biggest of the breweries, but I would consider all of them under "local craft breweries" umbrella. Micro, Nano, etc...meh.

There will be an "beer crawl" of sort this Saturday out in the Gallatin area. Very small brewery actually in Cottontown called Briarscratch is becoming the first local brewer in Sumner County to serve their beer. Young guy, Brad, owns it. Really great guy who is part of our local Beer group here in Nashville. He worked hard to get laws changed out there. Will be doing 3-4 stops to celebrate the first tapping of his beer.
 
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#10,346
#10,346
VolnTitan said:
Really a little picky in your description. Safe to say that Yazoo is the biggest of the breweries, but I would consider all of them under "local craft breweries" umbrella. Micro, Nano, etc...meh.

There will be an "beer crawl" of sort this Saturday out in the Gallatin area. Very small brewery actually in Cottontown called Briarscratch is becoming the first local brewer in Sumner County to serve their beer. Young guy, Brad, owns it. Really great guy who is part of our local Beer group here in Nashville. He worked hard to get laws changed out there. Will be doing 3-4 stops to celebrate the first tapping of his beer.
Click to expand...

I don't make the beer rules, man.
 
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