Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
Idk. I could write this article and for my last point I could say, “All sour beers. I just don’t get them,” ignoring the fact that lots of people love them. De gustibus non disputandem est, ‘n ‘at, y’know?
I’d rather see an article about bad “good” beers than one which pokes fun at an entire style of beers, ie American adjunct lagers. I’m not a fan of them myself, but if I’m having a dozen friends over for a ‘q I’m picking up some cases of Coors Light, not Dogfish Head. Am I going to make people happy, or am I going to try to show them how cool I am?
I used to fight against big beer and insist that anyone around me try craft beer…and I’d make them like it. Just like I used to argue about how Macs are better than PCs.
Now…I don’t argue any of it. I’ll share my insight if asked, but I just want people to be happy enjoying what they enjoy.
Man - I spent more time in IceHouse than I did in class back in the day. I laughed at the author's mention of price vs. Bud Light as a cause...because that is dead on.
MAK 2 Star pellet
Big Green Egg
Fuego gasser
Pitboss ceramic griddle
Eastman Outdoors wok burner
Ooni 16 pizza oven
Cast iron chimenea with pizza steel
Breeo smokeless fire pit, with Titan rotisserie and Titan Santa Maria style adjustable grate
Oklahoma Joe Bronco
Bert Grant, now deceased, arguably started the craft beer movement, here in little Yakima. I once asked him what he thought of Budweiser. I expected to get a rise out of him, but no. He, very thoughtfully, said that Bud did not appeal to him, but that they make very good beer. That it is very difficult to make consistent beer in a large number of breweries scattered around the world, and that they do an excellent job.
His early investors got growlers that they could refill for free at his pub.
Absolutely right. The big boys are very fine brewers, that kind of consistency is so hard to achieve. I just don't care for their choice of what they make
If not cooking outdoors, I am cooking on the stovetop with my 14" carbon steel wok, 12" CI skillet, or in the oven with my two Lodge CI pizza pans, or two dutch ovens. I've also got a nifty Lodge carbon steel grill pan that rocks for veggies outdoors.
I am sad to report that I keep a 12 pack of Coors Light in the fridge for SWMBO. I used to keep her supplied with that "B" Light stuff, until the excitement of the past year. She can't handle beer with more flavor than that, and about the only beer I've brewed that she liked was stuff that was so light in flavor that I couldn't see the utlity in brewing and keeping 5 gallon kegs of it on tap...
Love me some Coors Lights .AKA The Silver Bullet, Colorado Kool-Aid, and several other names depending on how many you've drank holding on to a bar stool.
I wouldn't go out of my way looking for a Coors Light, and wouldn't order one in a bar, but if someone offered me one at a party, I wouldn't say no.
And, I can't say that about every beer. If it's free, it's for me has it's limits
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About meReal name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan - near Clare (dead center of lower peninsula).
Occupation:
Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
Lost my respect when they said "Any India Pale Ale". It's one thing to not like a certain style, but to trash a whole style....(and forgive me if this is lost on me) is this article satire or is it intended to be for real?
Yeah - the article is mostly trash when it goes into trashing a whole class of beers.
I'll say however that I am not a huge fan of all the hazy IPA's that are the rage now. I prefer a good old fashioned clear traditional IPA or PA. I think it is mostly due to lazy brewers. It used to be that the style guidelines considered hazy beer a flaw - chill haze would lose you points in a competition. I think they are masking their flaws with all the cloudy hop juice beer...
jfmorris That could be. I love most all IPAs, so I may be a little more irritated at this than many others. To me it's like saying all spicy BBQ sauces are trash. I can appreciate all types of beers, even Coors light, it hits the spot in certain situations. Back to hazies, I like them too. Have you ever tried Zombie Dust from Three Floyd's Brewing (technically an APA but close enough)? Man oh man, is that some good stuff.
I'm a massive hophead and love the IPA style, but the hazy/juicy whatevers leaves me cold. Well-balanced IPA (Lagunitas is a good example) is delightful to me, doesn't need to be a 100+ IBU behemoth. Back when I brewed, my sweet spot was an ABV of about 6%, IBUs in the 60s to 70s, and a lot of hops in the finish that produce aromatics and flavor but not bitterness. IMO having very present finish hops enhances perceived bitterness a bit more acutely, so you can get away with lower IBUs overall.
Grill/Smoke/Roast = SnS Grills Kettle + SnS Deluxe Insert & Drip n' Griddle
Grill/Smoke/Roast = Hasty-Bake Gourmet Dual Finish with HB rotisserie and Grill Grates
Smoke = Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5"
Pizza = Blackstone Propane Pizza Oven (Stacy's, but she let's me use it sometimes)
Indoor Cooking = LG Studio 30" gas range
Camp Cooking = Coleman 2 burner white gas stove
Thermometer = FireBoard FBX2 with 2 ambient and 6 meat probes
Thermapen Mk IV = Light blue
Thermapen Mk IV = Black
PID Controller = Fireboard Drive + Auber 20 CFM Fan (FB gen 1 fan)
PID Controller = Fireboard Drive + Fireboard 20 CFM Fan (FB gen 2 fan)
Knives
Wusthof Classic Ikon set: 9" carving knive, 2X 8" Chef's Knife, 7" Santoku and three utility knives
Kamikoto Kuro set: 7" Santoku, 6.5" Nakiri, 5" Utility
Amazing Ribs Brazilian Steak knife set
Favorite wine = whatever is currently in the wine rack
Favorite beer = Sam Adams Boston Lager or Shiner Bock
Favorite whisky = Lagavulin Distiller's Edition 16 year old single malt
Best Cookbooks - Meathead's "The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling", Chris Lilly's "Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book", Aaron Franklin's "Franklin BBQ", Raichlen’s “Brisket Chronicles”
Current MCBS - Momofuku
Current fanboy cookbook - "Chasing Smoke: Cooking Over Fire Around the Levant"
Man, we drank a lot of Milwaukee's Best in the Army. It was cheap and tasted better than Budweiser, plus cost less.
How dare they rate PBR on this list!
And finally, about IPA's .... I used to drink them regularly because they were decently hopped and citrusy. Awesome in the summer. THen the hipsters decided to take IPA to extremes and they just got undrinkable.
Milwaukee's Best was the first beer I ever drank. I snuck a few from my grandpa's fridge at lunchtime when I deer hunted his property at 14, maybe 15, and had come up for lunch. It was at this age and with this beer I learned how a 3-beer buzz felt. 😵 🤫
Agreed! I like a good TRADITIONAL clear IPA or pale ale like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I do not like the funky cloudy hop juice concoctions that are the New England and West Coast style hazy IPA's....
You know back in the day (that was before they invented dirt in my case) we had an old saying and it holds true to this day. After about 6 beers and or after about 6 am it doesn't matter any longer, just want another BEER
(Only exception to that rule is when you wake up on the couch hung over, reach for a partially filled can on the table and chug it down hair of the dog style only to realize it was someone's ashtray)
I'll see your spittoon and raise you a "my own beer can spittoon got to my lips before I realized it wasn't my own beer beer can". I was gaming and had swapped places with the beer with the spit can.
And finally, about IPA's .... I used to drink them regularly because they were decently hopped and citrusy. Awesome in the summer. THen the hipsters decided to take IPA to extremes and they just got undrinkable.
Yes, this exactly! I love a crisp, reasonably hopped pale ale. Somewhere in the last decade, though, it became a contest to see how much hops you could trick people into drinking. It generally masks other flavors, IMO, and is a way to cover up bad beer. This hops craze is even bleeding in to other styles of beer. There's a brewery here in PGH, East End, that basically over-hops all of its beers. Sorry-not-sorry, but a blackstrap stout shouldn't taste hoppy. (**shakes cane at the damn kids on his lawn**)
The best pale ale I've ever had was from Port City Brewery in Alexandria, VA. Their "Essential Pale Ale" is flavorful, crisp, and hits the spot on a hot day. One hell of a session beer. It's one of the things I really miss about living there.
Last edited by PGH_RAM; January 3, 2024, 05:07 PM.
Went to a bachelor party oh so many years ago where we had a beer sampling contest at the start (before anyone got too drunk). Without boring you with the details, absolutely no one picked what they had boldly stated was their individual favorite and more than a few said (unknowingly) the beer they said was the best tasted like "horse piss".
Best/Worst beer lists are a waste of time. The best beers I've had are the one's someone else pays for.
Yes, this exactly! I love a crisp, reasonably hopped pale ale. Somewhere in the last decade, though, it became a contest to see how much hops you could trick people into drinking. It generally masks other flavors, IMO, and is a way to cover up bad beer. This hops craze is even bleeding in to other styles of beer. There's a brewery here in PGH, East End, that basically over-hops all of its beers. Sorry-not-sorry, but a blackstrap stout shouldn't taste hoppy. (**shakes cane at the damn kids on his lawn**)
The best pale ale I've ever had was from Port City Brewery in Alexandria, VA. Their "Essential Pale Ale" is flavorful, crisp, and hits the spot on a hot day. One hell of a session beer. It's one of the things I really miss about living there.
I am in absolutely violent agreement, people dumping hops into everything is ridiculous. Stout hopped to IPA levels is a travesty.
And Port City is right down the road from me! They are just outstanding. They make most of the classic styles and don't go in for all the trendy stuff at all. They make some of the best examples of the respective styles I've ever had. Their Downright Pilsner is as close to Pilsner Urquell as I've ever had. And that Essential Pale Ale is very aptly named - my go-to of theirs. During the height of the pandemic when we were getting nearly everything delivered, I had their stuff delivered. 5 bucks flat delivery fee, and it arrived at the door drinkably cold, delivered by some very cool guys and gals who work for PC. I'm a huge supporter.
I totally agree that Bud and Rolling Rock should be on the list. Terrible beers IMHO. Surprised Corona is not on it. The only way I'll drink a Corona is if the outside temp is hot, the beer is ice cold and has a lime to squeeze into it.
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