[Amorya]

I never used to be that much of a drinker - had the odd pint or two, but usually of lager. But now I've become hooked on Real Ale, and have had over 15 pints this week! (Hopefully I'm not turning into an alcoholic - I forced myself not to drink today when I went out...)

So - do we have any other real ale fans? I went to our campus' Real Ale Festival on Thursday, and tried a load of new beers - favourites are Black Adder and Landlord. What do you guys like to drink?

Amorya

[nredman]

dont think i have ever had "real ale" i'm more of a lager guy

[ism]

Originally posted by Amorya:
I never used to be that much of a drinker - had the odd pint or two, but usually of lager. But now I've become hooked on Real Ale

Amorya

I started drinking (up north) on bitters and ales and preferred them over lagers. Now I tend to drink lager more often (my bird drinks it too and I did overdo the bitters) but I have reached that point where as long as it's alcoholic I don't really care.

There are some really nice real ales to be had though, more so up north than down south (there's some awful Green King ones). For the mass produced ones I'd say Theakstons, for the one off ones then you've got to look for a good local pub.

[Kilbey]

Originally posted by Amorya:
So - do we have any other real ale fans? I went to our campus' Real Ale Festival on Thursday, and tried a load of new beers - favourites are Black Adder and Landlord. What do you guys like to drink?

Amorya

I am a huge fan of real ales. A real eye opener ain't they? Kinda makes that budmillercoors/bassheinieguinness taste like crap don't it?

I hate to break it to you, but here's the bad news. You will have to start making your own beer now. It's the only way you'll be able to afford to continue drinking real ales. Best of luck to you. I have been on this long wonderful road for about 10 years now.

[Chris O'Brien]

Originally posted by Kilbey:
I hate to break it to you, but here's the bad news. You will have to start making your own beer now. It's the only way you'll be able to afford to continue drinking real ales.

I must be lucky then. My local (which is 10 doors down from me, woohoo) charges �2.20 for a pint of lager, and �1.90 for the guest ales they bring in (they change weekly). I exclusively drink the real ales there, and it's cheaper.

It must be different in America, then...

The best time is going to the CAMRA ale festival held at the student union here in Durham once a year. You buy/rent a glass and a few tokens then go and try what you want. Great stuff.

Oh, and I brew my own too - I'm just not very good at it yet

[thunderous_funker]

Well Portland is beer heaven, at least in North America.

If you get a chance, check out anything by Laurelwood Brewery. They don't bottle at all but it is available on tap in good places. I've noticed people all over the US mentioning it on BeerAdvocate which surprised me since I thought it was my best kept secret (one of the brewers is a buddy of mine).

Lately I've been exploring the complex, fascinating and sometimes utterly bizarre world of Belgian Ales. I'm new to this vast landscape, but so far the journey is astonishing. Belgian Ales have some of the most utterly, staggeringly unique flavors imaginable.

Case in point would be the infamous Duchesse du Bourgogne which I sampled for the very first time just this week. Quite possibly the greatest beer in the world and without a doubt the most original. If you ever wonder if wine lovers are having all the fun, just find yourself a bottle of this beauty to open your eyes to a whole unexplored world of complexity and flavor.

[Apple Pro Underwear]

yeah, lager for me too

nasty british ones always hit the spot


in the summer i go for ale though. but i need atleast 2 to make me happy.

[malvolio]

I've had some very tasty ales from local microbreweries.
I've also had some real garbage that called itself "ale". Carlsberg used to make something called Elephant Pale Ale that tasted like a mix of beer and grapefruit juice.
Apparently they don't make it any more. Smart decision.