# Beers To Try In The Usa



## AndySmith (4/4/08)

I'm going to the states in a week for a couple of months, just wanting some advice about must have beers and must not have i.e. Bud.


Also good micros around the south, worth a visit. Unfortunately I will only be having Sundays off work so I won't be able to travel very much.

Any advice is appreciated.


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## jdsaint (4/4/08)

go to a dan murphys or a 1st choice liquor, get your american fix their
I have been all over the world without leaving newcastle.oh but if you go try a bud light for us, i have seen hulk hogan drink them give that a go "BROTHER"


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## joecast (4/4/08)

what part of the south you going to? too bad about only having sunday off. if you're in the wrong part of the country, there may not be much open.
joe


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## leeboy (4/4/08)

A few micro's that are nearly national over there that I would highly recommend are
1) Deschutes
2) Sierra Nevada
3) Great Divide
4) Rogue
5) Flying Dog
6) Dog fish head

These few breweries make top beers. if you get to try any of these you are one lucky fellow. oh to be back there again.
Lee


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## schooey (4/4/08)

How could we ever take seriously the opinion of someone who says 'Gasnier is God'?


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## jdsaint (4/4/08)

if you get to try any of these you are one lucky fellow. oh to be back there again.
Lee
[/quote]
like I said DAN MURPHYS (swansea) if they dont have it they can get it!


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## jdsaint (4/4/08)

schooey said:


> How could we ever take seriously the opinion of someone who says 'Gasnier is God'?


hunter mariners fan hey?

so do you have the "how did that get into my pocket" poster of andrew johns? :icon_chickcheers:


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## troydo (4/4/08)

jdsaint said:


> if you get to try any of these you are one lucky fellow. oh to be back there again.
> Lee
> 
> like I said DAN MURPHYS (swansea) if they dont have it they can get it!




bottled beer is nothing compared to fresh from the bright beer tank! or even fresh in the bottle that hasn't been shipped halfway round the world and left in storage facilities for months, particularly for the hoppy goodness!


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## n00ch (4/4/08)

Next to no chance Dan Murphy's are going to get the beers from most/any of the breweries Leeboy stated Jdsaint. Unfortunate as it is.

I agree with the beers from the breweries Leeboy posted, I had the opportunity to try beers from them all and they have all been fantastic. The only other I would add off the top of my head is The Lost Abbey, they are producing some top quality beers.

Cheers


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## schooey (4/4/08)

jdsaint said:


> hunter mariners fan hey?
> 
> so do you have the "how did that get into my pocket" poster of andrew johns? :icon_chickcheers:



 Cheers mate...

If Gasnier achieves half what Joey did, on or off the gear, he'd be a damn side happier than he is now... 

anyway.. no more off topic from me. 

I've only ever been to the good ol' U S of A once and wasn't fortunate enough to get to any micros or decent breweries. Only sampled the Bud and Miller and other forms over commercialised redneck swill. I hope you do better than me, THB.


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## jdsaint (4/4/08)

sorry just dislike Newcastle bt this year they are alright they have half of saints team :icon_offtopic: 

try a 40oz, a duff (does it really make you yella), and anything made with corn (except bourbon) :icon_vomit:


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## AndySmith (4/4/08)

joecast said:


> what part of the south you going to? too bad about only having sunday off. if you're in the wrong part of the country, there may not be much open.
> joe



I will be working and staying in Gulfport, Mississippi which is about an hours drive east of New Orleans. Not the greatest location!! Except for the New Orleans Jazz festival on the weekend after I arrive.

I will have a 7 hour layover in LA not sure how to fill the time, Suggestions?


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## AndySmith (4/4/08)

leeboy said:


> A few micro's that are nearly national over there that I would highly recommend are
> 1) Deschutes
> 2) Sierra Nevada
> 3) Great Divide
> ...



How readily are these available in liquor stores? They look like what I was wanting to try.


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## KingPython (4/4/08)

You could try ratebeer.com if you haven't already: http://ratebeer.com/BestInMyArea.asp?Count...&StateID=24


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## kevo (4/4/08)

From what I've tasted, I'd be drinking as much Stone IPA as possible. The Stone Brewing Co. is in San Diego I think and was once of the best beers I've ever tasted. 

From what I've heard, I'd be getting into any Russian River stuff I could get my hands on.

Have a top trip, bring me back a bottle of Stone IPA please. :icon_cheers: 

Kev


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## joecast (4/4/08)

Turkey Head Brewing said:


> I will be working and staying in Gulfport, Mississippi which is about an hours drive east of New Orleans. Not the greatest location!! Except for the New Orleans Jazz festival on the weekend after I arrive.
> 
> I will have a 7 hour layover in LA not sure how to fill the time, Suggestions?



yeah, NO isnt the best place for beer, but they do know how to party. 
http://beeradvocate.com/beerfly/city/11
http://beermapping.com/maps/citymaps.php?m=neworleans

cant find much in gulfport itself, so you are probably looking at just finding the bigger national/regional distributing breweries. 
as for your 7hr layover at LAX, factor in customs and finding your departing terminal and you are best off finding a bar there and having a quiet drink in a foreign country without the stress of finding a cab from and back to the airport. 
trying to find some info on LAX itself as far as food and drink but not having much luck. anyway, enjoy your trip.
joe


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## reVoxAHB (4/4/08)

kevo said:


> From what I've tasted, I'd be drinking as much Stone IPA as possible. The Stone Brewing Co. is in San Diego I think and was once of the best beers I've ever tasted.
> 
> From what I've heard, I'd be getting into any Russian River stuff I could get my hands on.
> 
> ...



Yep, Stone IPA is nectar forsure. I've had a few cracks at that one, at home, and just can't quite nail it. All of the Stone beers are worth a look, in addition to the other breweries mentioned. New Belgium Brewing is good. Their flagship ales have left my port but they certainly crank out an interesting batch or three. With nearly 1,300 micros you won't have a problem finding something interesting to drink on any given night. And don't forget, a 12 pack on promotion will run you $10.00, generally speaking. Something like Stone IPA in a good neck of the [email protected] $8 tops a 6pack.

reVox


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## leeboy (4/4/08)

Those breweries I listed earlier as my favourites you should definately be able to find in a good liquor store. Just look in the phone book while you are there. As for LA. If your brave try heading to the Bear Republic brewery they are awesome from memory.
Lee


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## leeboy (4/4/08)

Also ditto, Dan Murphys don't stock any of those beers. The only one actually commercially available in Australia that I'm aware of are Great Divide through international beer shop and Sierra Nevada Pale ale only through a few distributors.

plus dragons suck balls and are paying way to much for gasniers services (or lack there of) can see him breaking a bicep again any time now....
Just kidding they go alright Sowen is playing well


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## /// (4/4/08)

with over 1800 micro's in the US, i would open the Micro Brewers phone book and start at A and end at Z.

IF in the South (Georgia, North Caralina, South Carolina, Louisiana) check out probrewer.com and russle around. Even in the 'Budville Midwest' the variety on offer in Blandville liqour store is something to behold.

If you can get to a 5 and Dime and get a freshly made vanilla coke I would visit it often. best near damm drink i ever had was said coke in Chapel Hill North Carolina.

Scotty


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## phonos (4/4/08)

This place seems to be the best place within 50 miles of gulfport:

Coast Brewing Company

There are a few others around, but you have to be willing to drive for a few hours.


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## kook (5/4/08)

jdsaint said:


> like I said DAN MURPHYS (swansea) if they dont have it they can get it!



Bullshit. They can only get what is available through their distributors, which in the way of microbrewed American beers is stuff all. The only things I've seen over here on a widely distributed scale is Sam Adams. Some Sierra Nevada, Anchor, Flying Dog, Great Divide and Left Hand have been bought in on small scales through Pheonix beers but as far as I know they haven't reached the east.


More on topic - Theres unfortunately not a lot happening in the beer scene down that way. Your best bet is to jump onto the forums at sites like Ratebeer, The Brewing Network, Probrewer, Brewboard, Beer Advocate etc and ask if there are any locals to give you pointers. Otherwise, try the beer mapping project (beermapping.com) or look at the Places section on Ratebeer.

That said, "not a lot happening" in the US means a hell of a lot more than whats available in most stores in Aus


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## T.D. (5/4/08)

If you see any beers by Lagunitas then definitely grab them and have a try. Some of the best US microbrew I've tried. And they seem to fly under the radar to an extent. Great beers though. I think they're from California, but are distrubted all around the US from what I gather.


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## Adric Hunter (5/4/08)

What ever you do DO NOT DRINK MICHEALOB ULTRA!!!!!! It is to Budwieser as Pure Blonde is to Tooheys New. It is the most flavourless abismal crap i have ever tasted in my life!!!! Slightly carbonated pond water :icon_vomit:


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## leeboy (5/4/08)

haha pond water love it.

What has American beer and sex in a canoe got in common....

******* close to water.

Just for the record I love american microbrew and have drank considerable amounts on my tour up the west coast from mexico to British Columbia. I LOVE OREGON


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## BrenosBrews (6/4/08)

Turkey Head Brewing said:


> I will be working and staying in Gulfport, Mississippi which is about an hours drive east of New Orleans. Not the greatest location!! Except for the New Orleans Jazz festival on the weekend after I arrive.
> 
> I will have a 7 hour layover in LA not sure how to fill the time, Suggestions?



Due to various reasons (namely religion) a lot of places will be closed on Sundays. Except for the casinos which give you alcohol for free if you are gambling. But it's probably something pretty crap. 
New Orleans is your best bet. There is a wholefoods which usually has some pretty good selections. A couple of decent beer bars too.
Directly from Beer Advocate magazine as for LAX layover; Gordon Biersch - Departure Post Security, Karl Strauss Microbrewery - Terminal 7, Manhattan Beach Brewing Company - Terminal 4 & Redondo Beach Brewing - Terminal 6.

Oh how I live for the day that Australia's airports have such options!


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## kevnlis (6/4/08)

Nothing wrong with Bud, or Genuine Draft, both excellent beers at times and should not be overlooked IMHO!

If I saw anything from Three Floyds, Hair of the Dog, Stone, Dogfish Head, Lost Abbey, Alesmith, Deschutes, Kuhnhenn, Bells, or anything brewed in Wisconsin I would give it a go.


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## sinkas (6/4/08)

Cant beat a Fawty 

View attachment Image_OE_800.htm


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## Thirsty Boy (6/4/08)

I think that there is a Gordon Biersch in terminal 1 at LAX although I think it is run as a concession and the Gordon Biersch website doesn't list it.

There is an article here that says there is a Brewpub (Redondo Beach Brewing) at the airport

and the Four Points Sheraton at LA airport apparently has a what it refers to as "one of the top five beer bars in LA" LINK and the 4 points recently made news by appointing a "Cheif Beer Officer to make sure that each of its outlets stocked a great range of local craft beer as well as a good international stock check this out plus google, so it might be worth a visit.

No help in the south, but might make your 7 hr stopover a bit easier 

Thirsty


edit: - damn, while I was typing Brenosbrew beat the hell out of my post... well at least he didn't mention the Sheraton.


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## kevnlis (6/4/08)

Thirsty Boy said:


> edit: - damn, while I was typing Brenosbrew beat the hell out of my post... well at least he didn't mention the Sheraton.



It took you three and a half hours to type that?!?! :lol:


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## Thirsty Boy (6/4/08)

no - now that you point it out... I must just be off the game mentally and have missed his post. I saw your last post... but somehow missed Brenosbrew's... which was good enough that I wouldn't have bothered with mine.

Now I sound like a poor typist, an unobservant twat AND an a bit of retard as well.... and I was just trying to be helpful. Oh well  

Still ... almost sounds like the LA airport would be a good beer destination in its own right 3 micros a gordon biersch bar and the sheraton. Hell thats a better choice of micros than Sydney ............. h34r:


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## kevnlis (6/4/08)

Thirsty Boy said:


> no - now that you point it out... I must just be off the game mentally and have missed his post. I saw your last post... but somehow missed Brenosbrew's... which was good enough that I wouldn't have bothered with mine.
> 
> Now I sound like a poor typist, an unobservant twat AND an a bit of retard as well.... and I was just trying to be helpful. Oh well
> 
> Still ... almost sounds like the LA airport would be a good beer destination in its own right 3 micros a gordon biersch bar and the sheraton. Hell thats a better choice of micros than Sydney ............. h34r:



Hahaha... sorry if I helped make you look bad in any way. :icon_cheers: 

As for the airport bit, I always lay over at LAX on my way to or from Chicago (which is where I am from originally) and have seen a lot of cool things there, never a brewery though! I go back home in November so I will be sure to schedule an extra long lay over this time around.

Leinenkugel's is my favourite brewery in the US. Nothing special about the beer, it is edging on megaswill now that it has been bought out by Miller, but they still brew great beer at an excellent price. We used to get slabs of their Lager for $9.00 or so back in my uni days, and that was only 10 years ago! They do a wide range of beers and all of them are well crafted and worth a try IMHO.

EDIT: Spelling!


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## AndySmith (6/4/08)

Thanks everyone for your replies, I looked at some of the sites suggested but somehow missed finding any good info. The personal recommendations are great too, a suggestion from a like minded person is gold.

Now to decide what to do.

7 hours of drinking at micros at LAX could be very dangerous :icon_drunk: what an impression to give the boys when i arrive there :unsure:


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## Trent (6/4/08)

Turkey Head
If ya have 7 hours in LA, then do yaself a favour and head to either Venice Beach, or Santa Monica, it is 30-45mins in a cab (about $40 odd dollars) or you can get an Aiport Shuttle for about $15. 7 hours will cut it fine, but none the less....
Visit Library Alehouse in Venice Beach, it is a great pub with a large beer selection. About 30 on tap, alot of belgians and great micros.
Fathers Office in santa Monica is also fantastic, but it doesnt open till 5pm. About 50 on tap, and not a bud or millers to be seen.
Third street promenade is a nice place to pass the time in Santa Monica, and there is a sportsbar (whose name eludes me right now) that has about 40 beers on tap, including Aroogant Bastard, Stone IPA (I think), Anchor, SNPA, and a hell of alot of other great beers. 
I know that Library Alehouse does a "tasting paddle" where ya get to choose any beers in 100mL glasses for about a buck each.
It will be a tight squeeze to do this with only 7 hours, and LAX security as it tends to be, but it is possible.
Your next best bet is to go on HBD or somehting like that, tell people where yer gonna be, and ask for recommendations for great bottle shops, and get to them in the evening after work. Alot of the southers states have "blue laws" that prevent the sale of alcohol on sundays, the source of much swearing for me in stinky Valdosta, Georgia, while enroute from NYC to New Orleans for Mardi Gras one year. Apparently they dont know a man's not a camel.
Have fun, there are bollock loads of great beers in the states, if you are only going for a month or so, you can probably do as I do and drink 5 or six different ones a day, and not try the same beer twice. And after 30 days and 150 odd beers, you will be feeling very unwell, and probably happy to come home to the beer desert of aussie bottle shops!
All the best
Trent


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