Best Commercial Beer I Have Enjoyed

[Kai]

my list would be:
- rochefort 10
- chimay blue
- duvel
- kwak
- JS australian strong ale (prefer the 2003 over this years)

I had one of this year's (I think) strong ales and I thought it was pretty average.

 

[Trent]

Cant nail down one favourite, but a list of beers I have drunk more than my fair share of and enjoyed it thoroughly would be

Coopers Sparkling
LCPA
Sam Adams (Boston Ale and Celebration Ale 1999)
Sierra Nevada (Pale Ale and Celebration Ale 2000)
Red Hook ESB and IPA
Arrogant ******* Ale
Magic Hat #9
Negra Modelo
Shaftbury Cream Ale
Kootenay Mountain Ale
Cusquena (pre Annheuser Busch take-over)
Arequipena
Estrella Galicia
Saranac Porter
Sleeman Brown on tap

All were really good beers (or I thought so when I was drinking em). Maybe I would have a different opinion of some of em now, since I discovered HB, but I'm standing by em.
Trent

 

[dreamboat]

I was mad for belgian style ales - chimay, rochfort, that sort of thing. But I have been converted, by a much weaker and weirder brew....


Rodenbach Grand Cru.


as long as you don't expect it to taste like beer as you have know it, you will be impressed, dry, fruity, cidery, vinegar... but still beer. I could drink it every day, (though not at $7 a bottle) and I know better than to waste my time trying to brew it.
Hoegarden Crand Cru is a pile of ****... none of the same flavours as the Rodenbach.


dreamboat

 

[spog]

Mack (norway) Lapin kulta (finland) Coopers sparkling.

 

[big d]

gotta be BIG D,s LIMITED RELEASE porter.

arnhemlands only brewery

big d
head brewer

 

[Tallgum]

Hey big d, Do you have indigenous areas where alcohol is not allowed in the N.T. as we have in Qld. Not bieng a smart arse just curious.

 

[big d]

yeah heaps of those tallgum.all sign posted and around the sign about 2 million empty green cans.this town is ok but step outside the 2 km drinking law and look out.most places are ok though but the stations/settlements are alcohol free zones.
they have restricted drinking areas in these and certain hours to keep all honest and non rowdy. <_<

 

[Tallgum]

Yeh thanks big d, just that I did a bit of work in the wine industry in far western N.S.W. a few years ago and it was interesting to hear the latest on this issue first hand. I tell you what mate we take alcohol for granted in the most cities and towns in this country, bit different in the outback.

 

[nonicman]

Sorry if this is the wrong thread for this post. Picked up a six pack of Braidwood Ales, last night. My experience of different styles of ale is limited. These beers are brewed by Scott Watkins-Sully in Braidwood, Southern Tablelands NSW. All are bottle conditioned.

Milk Stout (3.2% A/V)
Sweet roasty stout, very tasty.

Old Doc (6.7% A/V)
Strong Ale

Ruby Mild (5.9% A/V)
Another Strong Ale, SWMBO's favorite.

Best Better (4.6 A/V)
This was my pick, the hops and malt compliment perfectly. Nice hop aroma and favour. Finishes with a moreish bitterness and hint of malt sweetness. This was the most complex of the four beers. Can't wait till later in the day when I can taste test the another bottle of the Best Bitter.

 

[sluggerdog]

James Squire Pilsner and Matilda Bay Pilz.

In the middle of summer, usually xmas day, BECKS straight from the ice filled esky...

 

[morry]

I reckon the beers from the Grand Ridge brewery are pretty good. So are the Goat beers. And of course LCPA. For whatever reason, I dont really like some of the Belgian Ales.

 

[Sean]

Adnams Extra (no longer brewed). I can even tell you when and where I had the best over pint of it.

Brakspears Ordinary (brewery no longer exists)

Hook Norton Mild (no longer brewed)

Timothy Taylor's Golden Best

Orkney Dark Island

Oakhill Black Magic

RCH PG Steam

Teignworthy Springtide.

Hanby Black Magic Mild

Cotleigh Harrier

Cotleigh Nutcracker

Westmalle Dubbel

Since none of the above are remotely gettable in this hemisphere:
Schneider Weisse
Fullers 1845

Best Australian:
Holgate Mt Macedon
Goulbern (the weak one - can't recall the name)
Mountain Goat Hightail
Coopers Dark

 

[johnno]

I had a Warsteiner last week. Its up there with the best I have tried so far.

 

[flanbos]

i know its nothing fancy but im fond of JS amber ale

ALso i think one of the best drinking experience,s in sydney is at the lowenbrau pub in the rocks. drinking 1L steins is madd fun, i end up drinking them as quick as i drink bloody schooners haha

 

[Gerard_M]

I have just finished off a bottle of Young's Double Chocolate Stout. What a great late evening beer. Wish I had some Choc ice cream to go with it. They state on the label that they actually use chocolate as well as Choc Malt.
I can't say it is the biggest Chocolate Beer fix I have ever had. Last night at the Northside Brewers meeting we were lucky enough to try Pete Wadey's Choc Porter. I have never heard of anybody using Fawcetts Choc Malt as a base malt, but this thing had to go close. Impressive effort Pete. Friday night I have a bottle of Duff's Stout. I will make sure there is ice cream to match.
Seems that we need 6 or 7 new faces to turn up to help the Northside Club survive. Any takers?
Cheers
Gerard

 

[kook]

I have just finished off a bottle of Young's Double Chocolate Stout. What a great late evening beer. Wish I had some Choc ice cream to go with it. They state on the label that they actually use chocolate as well as Choc Malt.
I can't say it is the biggest Chocolate Beer fix I have ever had. Last night at the Northside Brewers meeting we were lucky enough to try Pete Wadey's Choc Porter. I have never heard of anybody using Fawcetts Choc Malt as a base malt, but this thing had to go close. Impressive effort Pete. Friday night I have a bottle of Duff's Stout. I will make sure there is ice cream to match.
Seems that we need 6 or 7 new faces to turn up to help the Northside Club survive. Any takers?
Cheers
Gerard

[post="47686"][/post]​

I have a photo of a batch of this fermenting in an open square fermenter at the Youngs brewery in Wandsworth.

I'll post it once the gallery is back up

I suspect it was mostly for show though, as all the other squares were empty, and the tour conveniently skipped the floor of closed fermenters.

Heres my (current) top 10 commercial beers:
Westvleteren Abt 12
Belle-Vue Selection Lambic
Unertl Weissbier Bock
Westvleteren Extra 8
Cantillon Rose De Gambrinus
Beersel Oude Kriek
Drie Fontaine Oude Gueuze
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock
Rodenback Alexander
Gouden Carolus Classic

 

[warrenlw63]

One suspects that Kook has had the odd lost weekend in Belgium?? :super:

Wish I was there again. It's the only place in the world where I generally wind up pissed before 11am. Sampling some of the bigger jobbies at 10am takes a pretty large feed before-hand.

Down that Westvleteren Abt 12 and out into the cold morning air. Stagger-Stagger. :chug:

Still got a soft spot for Tripel Karmeliet and Affligem Tripel.

Warren -

 

[warrenlw63]

Oh! After all that ranting I forgot to add my all-time favourite beer.

Staropramen Straight from the lagering tanks. You've never had hop aroma till you've tried it this fresh. :beerbang:

Warren -

 

[Samwise Gamgee]

I was quite impressed with JS Golden Ale!

Chang - (2 longnecks for the price of 1 during happy hour kicking back on a hot and humid Phuket Beach waiting for the next breeze to push the humidity away for a short while)

LCPA - Served in a Stein @ Kingsley's Schnitzel & Ale House

Paddys Black Ale :beerbang: & Summer Ale

JS Amber Ale is also back in the good books after a schooner last night @ the Bull!

Bush's Blonde

Old Speckled Hen

umm they are the ones that immediately come to mind.

 

[Backlane Brewery]

Speckled Hen does it for me too.
Cain's Museum Ale.
Fuller's London Pride, mmm.
Local- Goat Pale, JS Golden.

Also have fond memories of getting my first credit card over 20 years ago, & christening it by lashing out on a slab of Cooper's Sparkling stubbies. In the proper pickaxe bottles with the ring pull tops.