I'd drink BL if that was my only option or the best of really bad options. When it comes to American Lagers, I'll support the brands I know are unionized and avoid the ones I know arent (Yuengling). I know Miller Lite included a very small "union made" in their logo, they may still, I havent looked in awhile.
If I'm going cheap lager I look for Tecate or Modelo. That prolly makes me very far "left" on the beer scale. BL is the bottom of the list for me. I'd take Miller over it for sure
Modelo is fine. And I dont even stick to my rules, because I will drink Coors. Very few craft breweries are union, and New Belgium went away from employee owned awhile back, kind of killed my vibe with them a little. Ethical consumption is often a fool's game.
Off topic: Is the OP still active on Too Hot? Did they fizzle out or perhaps earn a permaban? Just curious As for beer, when I was teaching school I had a side gig as a musician in the Busch Gardens Tampa Festhaus. First, the auditions were hilarious (story for another thread), but I managed to make the cut and get some fun part time work. After six months of employment, we qualified for two cases of beer/month. We would line up and, show our employee ID, make our request for 4 diff 12-packs, and wait for it to float down a thingy like the airport baggage claim. As I recall, Mich Lite was the choice when it was available. I had to hold parties just to get rid of the beer. Nowadays I like to learn from y'all about good beer, cause I'm only familiar with local crafts. Whisky is my thing, but enjoy a good ale now and then. Would like to try some of those Vermont beers folks were pimpin' recently, but I have no idea what it was.
I was big on Coors Light in college. Then one night I was sitting on the couch drinking with my roommate and dwelled on a sip for a bit. Then declared "this beer actually sucks." I've only had it a few times since. And I'll pass
Vermont makes the best beer in the land. Between the Alchemist and Hill Farmstead, it doesn't get better. Alchemist distros to Denver sometimes, otherwise neither really leave Vermont.
Ahh thanks, that's the intel I was curious about. So these beers are legit only available in Vermont or some random metro? Is it really that good? Whiskey can really be that good, but it can also be aged for decade(s). Would you really suggest that these beers are golden unicorns worthy of concentrated effort to obtain? I'm genuinely curious, again as a person who hunts some of the best whiskeys out there. Are there not comparable brews from local crafts or established craft breweries like Lagunitas (sp?). Appreciate your take
Never drink bud light, but not for political reasons. Prefer stuff from small local breweries or an IPA from Sierra Nevada. Dogfish is good, but potent, so just one of those at a time.
Pretty much only available in Vermont. Hill Farmstead is in the middle of nowhere northern Vermont. It's down a dirt road and basically in Canada. But it's beautiful and is the best brewery in the world in my opinion. They do limited distribution in Vermont but that's pretty much it. Occasionally it hits high end beer bars in the north east. You have to be a giant beer nerd to find it and visit it. I've been twice now.... it's also gorgeous as a venue. Alchemist is pretty ubiquitous in Vermont, but again, probably the best IPAs in the world. They see limited distribution to Denver and handful of other cities. The way you view whiskey is the way I view beer. So going to these places and seeking them out were bucket list things. Well worth it. Something like Lagunitas is fine, but not in the same ball park as these beers.
State-specific beers are a real annoyance. Would love to figure out a way to get some New Glarus in Florida without having to fly to Wisconsin with an empty suitcase.
NICE - a New Glarus ref. That is indeed one of the heralded brews that has distribution only in WI (or in nearby states that I'm not aware of). It's not in MN, but we are close enough to WI that we know. I've heard friends argue between the Spotted Cow and one of the raspberry flavors. Easy for me - Spotted Cow.
So frustrating that I am missing some good beer info because some are some too insecure to hear other people’s opinions! I am only picking up pieces. Oh well. Crazy that in a political forum you would be so insecure that you would set it up so others can’t even see your conversations. That said. Gator Country fails with this policy in the grand scheme…
Speaking of, you know much about definitive brewing out of Maine? Just started getting them down here, I like the hazy I bought
Yuengling is the only big brewing company that is American owned. So that is all I drink now unless it’s a local small or micro brewer.
I think the Alchemist's stuff still has a gap between them & the rest. (typing in my basement about 3 feet from 2 Focal Bangers that are outside the window in the world's largest beer fridge.) It seems to have waves of hoppy goodness & hoppy dimensions that just aren't in other beers, but I think it is a proprietary yeast strain that is the secret. Prob the best Lagunitas is super rare & I did not see it at all last year, so maybe it is history, but it is The Waldos.
For sure. Stopped there on my trip a few weeks ago, second time I've been. They had just brewed Hopzilla for the first time in a while, phenomenal. Also really good food..
2 other really good breweries IMO are Toppling Goliath (Iowa) & Surly (Minn (??)). Both came to Colorado, got me hooked & then pulled out of the state.
