Zymurgy: Best Beers in America (2012)

[Krovitz]

Am I the only homebrewer that has yet to find a great stout? All this hop head hate! I can admit there are some awful over hopped and muddled beers but can you malt lovers enlighten me? Get a thread going with the best stouts/browns/porter/dark wheats or whatever else you guys love to drink. Maybe there already is one but post a link here either way. Persuade me! I'm missing something because there is a lot of stout love out there.

 

[bd2xu]

Am I the only homebrewer that has yet to find a great stout? All this hop head hate! I can admit there are some awful over hopped and muddled beers but can you malt lovers enlighten me? Get a thread going with the best stouts/browns/porter/dark wheats or whatever else you guys love to drink. Maybe there already is one but post a link here either way. Persuade me! I'm missing something because there is a lot of stout love out there.

With the weather getting cold I am getting into porter and stout. I am on my 5th batch and doing extract still but with specialty grains, full wort boil, wort chiller, liquid yeast/starter, stable mid 60s ferm temps (converted freezer), cold crashing... All the "little things" that make a drinkable extract kit into a great beer!

I currently am fermenting two brewers best kits, a pumpkin spice porter and a milk stout. Can't wait to try them. I used the whole spice pack (a lot!) in te porter so I will age it a couple months in te bottle to mellow out and develop depth. I am planning on adding some coffee to the milk stout in the secondary to balance the sweetness.

I love me my IPAs but am branching out. Will always have a hoppy IPA or pale ale around but trying different things too.

 

[Krovitz]

Those sound really good. I'm with you, I love hops but I want to discover more great beers.

 

[GuitarGumption]

There is a serious lack of Oregon breweries on this list. Having lived in Portland, and now in Colorado I'd vote heavily in favor of almost every brewery in Oregon over the Colorado selection. Just one persons opinion of course!

 

[bd2xu]

There is a serious lack of Oregon breweries on this list. Having lived in Portland, and now in Colorado I'd vote heavily in favor of almost every brewery in Oregon over the Colorado selection. Just one persons opinion of course!

Right on, I've had Bridgeport, Full Sail and Rogue.

 

[GuitarGumption]

Cool. Full Sail is pretty good, though one of my least favorite Oregon breweries. Some of my favorites are Ninkasi, Oakshire, and Boneyard. Also New Old Lompoc, though their bottled beer is nothing like on tap... also tons of others, too many to name. Ah I miss Oregon.

 

[bd2xu]

Cool. Full Sail is pretty good, though one of my least favorite Oregon breweries. Some of my favorites are Ninkasi, Oakshire, and Boneyard. Also New Old Lompoc, though their bottled beer is nothing like on tap... also tons of others, too many to name. Ah I miss Oregon.

Like almost anywhere it sounds like the best beers are very regional, never seen any of those.

 

[ZombieBrew83]

Have to strongly disagree on the two hearted ale, it's got to be the best IPA Ive had. But the whole thing with all this is no one is right, it's all opinion!

I've notice two hearted ale is getting hard to get in the southeast and it's up to $12 a six when I find it. Have to say though the last six I had was disappointing. Very little hop aroma compared to other batches. I'm trying northern brewers dead ringer to see if I can get close.

I agree strongly. Maybe a tie between two hearted and Dogfish Head 60 minute. I've also noticed the last couple batched of TH have been a little weak. Maybe the stock around the Twin Cities hasn't been rotating fast enough.

It bothers me that this list is pretty much devoid of any Blegian style beers. To each his own I guess.

 

[bd2xu]

+1 on dogfish 60+. Was my fav until I tasted TH. also Dale's Pale Ale and Sweetwater IPA. Those are my top four.

I bought the last TH sixer in Atlanta. It was $12 or $13!! I will pay that but only if it's the TH I know and love, this six really lacked hop aroma and flavor.

 

[DromJohn]

Two Hearted is $9.49 at Total Wine & More.
Sweetwater is my 4th favorite Georgia brewer; though if Magnum IP undanked into a seasonal, it woud climb to #2.

 

[itsernst]

Whats great is many of those are a car ride away from my house. Took a wine tasting trip up north and ended up stopping in Russian River during the PTY and then up to Beer Republic for Habenero Racer 5 cask. An absolute treat!

Heading to Paso this weekend, so get to cross off Firestone as well.

 

[bd2xu]

Two Hearted is $9.49 at Total Wine & More.
Sweetwater is my 4th favorite Georgia brewer; though if Magnum IP undanked into a seasonal, it woud climb to #2.

Cool I will check it out. I just saw it for 11.99 but has been closer to 10. I brewed a batch of NB Dead Ringer and just bottled it, hope it's close!

 

[Ghostly]

Am I the only homebrewer that has yet to find a great stout? All this hop head hate! I can admit there are some awful over hopped and muddled beers but can you malt lovers enlighten me? Get a thread going with the best stouts/browns/porter/dark wheats or whatever else you guys love to drink. Maybe there already is one but post a link here either way. Persuade me! I'm missing something because there is a lot of stout love out there.

If you get Founders where you are, try anything of theirs, from the porter to the imperial stout to the coffee and/or barrel-aged stuff that's harder to find. I'm also always impressed by Fuller's London Porter, which manages to make a pretty simple and affordable beer taste complex. North Coast's Old Rasputin is nice, too, and not too hard to find.

 

[bd2xu]

Ah yes, Founders and Bells. Both great Michigan breweries. I hear great things about the founders breakfast stout.

 

[KingBrianI]

Here are the lowest rated beers at ratebeer.com

1 Olde English 800 3.2 0.93 62 Malt Liquor
2 Natural Light 1.03 1102 Pale Lager
3 Natural Ice 1.04 771 Malt Liquor
4 Milwaukee’s Best Premium 1.07 803 Pale Lager
5 Michelob Ultra 1.07 1116 Pale Lager
6 Sleeman Clear 1.08 130 Pale Lager
7 Budweiser Select 55 1.10 165 Pale Lager
8 Coors Aspen Edge 1.11 199 Pale Lager
9 Busch Ice 1.11 141 Pale Lager
10 Bud Light Chelada 1.12 264 Spice/Herb/Vegetable
11 Bud Light 1.17 2540 Pale Lager
12 Milwaukee’s Best Light 1.17 473 Pale Lager
13 Busch Light 1.17 798 Pale Lager
14 Miller Genuine Draft Light 64 (MGD Light 64) 1.18 290 Pale Lager
15 Camo Genuine Ale 1.19 47 Malt Liquor
16 Keystone Light 1.19 881 Pale Lager
17 Busch Beer 1.23 939 Pale Lager
18 Keystone Premium 1.24 210 Pale Lager
19 Camo Silver Ice High Gravity Lager 1.24 105 Malt Liquor
20 General Generic Beer 1.25 26 Pale Lager
21 Budweiser Chelada 1.25 267 Spice/Herb/Vegetable
22 Labatt Sterling 1.26 64 Pale Lager
23 Hurricane High Gravity Lager 1.26 222 Malt Liquor
24 Milwaukee’s Best Ice 1.27 428 Pale Lager
25 Old Milwaukee Ice 1.27 111 Pale Lager
26 Molson Kick 1.28 54 Spice/Herb/Vegetable
27 Bud Ice 1.30 746 Pale Lager
28 Cave Creek Chili Beer 1.30 733 Spice/Herb/Vegetable
29 Tuborg T-Beer 1.31 57 Pale Lager
30 Corona Light 1.31 783 Pale Lager
31 Icehouse Light 1.31 51 Pale Lager
32 Coors Light 1.31 2429 Pale Lager
33 Keystone Ice 1.33 363 Pale Lager
34 Old Milwaukee 1.33 663 Pale Lager
35 St. Ides Premium Malt Liquor 1.33 94 Malt Liquor
36 Beer 30 Light 1.33 72 Pale Lager
37 Tuborg T-Beer Citrus/ Lemon 1.34 49 Fruit Beer
38 B-40 Bull Max 8% 1.34 25 Malt Liquor
39 King Cobra Malt Liquor 1.34 365 Malt Liquor
40 Jacob Best Ice 1.34 25 Pale Lager
41 Rock Green Light 1.35 284 Pale Lager
42 Olde English 800 1.35 625 Malt Liquor
43 Miller Lite Ice 1.35 79 Pale Lager
44 Miller Genuine Draft Light (MGD Light) 1.35 350 Pale Lager
45 Old Milwaukee Light 1.36 202 Pale Lager
46 Molson Ultra 1.36 42 Pale Lager
47 Miller Lite 1.37 1999 Pale Lager
48 PC 2.5 g Low Carb 1.37 19 Pale Lager
49 Schlitz Malt Liquor OML 1.37 323 Malt Liquor
50 Tequiza 1.38 374 Spice/Herb/Vegetable

Where's Genny Light?

 

[grathan]

Pretty cool list, will have to print this out to see if I can get any of the ones I haven't tried yet locally.
Actually is this in the same mag with the 50 greatest homebrew recipes?

Anyone else have their own rankings list with at least 50 beers on it?