With the hot weather engulfing the Midwest over the past few weeks, I've had a few people ask me, "What's in the beer fridge this year?" Given the beer fridge post from last year was one of the most viewed entries ever on this blog, I decided to let you have a peek again this year. (Some of these I don't have in the fridge because of space considerations, but they're sitting close by.):
Bud Light - My choice of beers to drink like water on hot days. See my "The Case for Bud Light" post here.
Miller Light - I only keep a few around for the hard core, non-Anheuser-Busch fans that come over. Plus I keep some around in case Brad, our neighbor from down the street and the local sales manager for the Miller Beer distributor here in Davenport, stops by.
Esser's Best - See my recent post on Esser's Best here.
Bell's Pale Ale - One of my favorite beers to drink any time of the year. No longer available in Illinois due to distribution problems, but is now available in Iowa. Woo hoo!!
Lone Star - The "National Beer of Texas." I like to get a couple sixers of Lone Star from time to time. It's more like Old Style than anything. Actually, G. Heileman Brewery bought Lone Star in the 80's, and both Old Style and Lone Star were absorbed by the Stroh Brewing Company a few years ago. Both are now owned by Pabst and Lone Star is contract brewed at a Miller brewing plant in Fort Worth, TX.
Anchor Steam - Owned by Newton, IA native and Maytag Company heir, Fritz Maytag, Anchor Brewing has been a staple of the San Francisco area since the late 1890's. The beer is brewed in an old world way using no cooling during the process. A rich, full taste and a deep amber color make Anchor Steam one of my favorite beers to drink.
James Page Voyageur Extra Pale Ale - Brewed at the Stevens Point brewery in Wisconsin, James Page Voyageur Extra Pale Ale is a full-bodied beer with some good flavor to it, including a hint of caramel. While I can't call it my favorite Pale Ale, it's still not too bad. I found this when I was up in Minnesota recently.
Otter Creek Pale Ale - A Vermont craft brew that was recommended to me by a colleague, Otter Creek is brewed by the same people who make the Wolaver's Organic beers. The Otter Creek Pale Ale has a golden amber color with a very forward taste of hops that is refreshing and flavorful. The hops Otter Creek uses are grown in Washington state's Yakima Valley and shipped across the nation to be used in the brewing process. I found a couple sixers of this stuff on my travels through Illinois a while back. Not bad beer.
Great Lakes Brewing Burning River Pale Ale - One of my all-time favorite beers. As you can see from this list, I like Pale Ale's and the Burning River Pale Ale out of Cleveland is one of the best around. Great Lakes Brewing Company is probably the most environmental minded brewery in the U.S. The name "Burning River" comes from when the formerly notoriously polluted Cuyahoga River caught on fire in the late 1960's. Great Lakes Brewing is a socially conscious company and champions a number of causes in the Cleveland area annually. Very tough to find outside of Ohio, but I did find some in Chicago recently.
Capital Special Pilsner - My favorite beer in the whole world. Capital Brewery's Special Pilsner has a smooth and flavorful taste. It's great with a big steak or with a juicy hamburger hot off the grill. It's tougher to find in stores these days, but I bought a couple cases up in Madison when I was last up there.
Capital Bavarian Lager - The flagship of the Capital Brewery line up of great beers. This German-style Lager is lighter than the Special Pilsner, but more bitter than most other American Lager's giving it an outstanding taste and finish. I like this one a lot, as well.
Capital Winter Skal - I talked about Capital's Winter Skal during my entry on Woodman's here. It's an outstanding seasonal beer made only in the winter months and offers a strong hoppy bitterness that is even good tasting in the summer months. I got a case of it up in LaCrosse when I was up there last, but I'm down to just a six pack left.
Old Style - I like Old Style. If I want to drink a lot of beer I go for either a Bud Light or an Old Style. I buy 18 pack cases of bottles when I go to Sal's in the Chicago area. It's a good ol' Wisconsin beer, even though it's no longer brewed by the G. Heileman brewery. (All Heileman beers are now brewed by Pabst Brewing.) I also have a case of the commemorative Old Style 2007 Chicago Cubs bottles, just because I thought they looked pretty cool.
Smithwick's - Ireland's oldest beer. This full-bodied red ale has been brewed since 1710. Guinness bought Smithwick's (pronounced SMID-dicks or SCHMId-dicks) a few years ago and has been importing it into the U.S. for about 4 years. I like it a lot.
Point Special - Brewed in Stevens Point, WI since 1857, this venerable beer has stood the test of time and continues to be one of the state's hallmark beers. A cold, cold Point on a hot afternoon is a pure treat, plain and simple. To commemorate the 150th year of brewing Point Special, the Point brewery has come out with a series of bottles depicting the labels from Point Special bottles over the years.
Special Export - I call Special Ex "The Poor Man's Heineken". It has a lot of the same taste qualities as Heineken, only at a significantly lower price. You can't find Special Ex bottles in Iowa any longer (only Special Export Light), so I try to get some when I go into Chicago or up to Wisconsin.
Abita Restoration Ale - The Abita Brewing Company in Abita Springs, LA wasn't as devastated during Hurricane Katrina as their counterparts at Dixie Brewing were. They were back up and brewing beer by the end of 2005 while I understand Dixie is still rebuilding and hopes to have product again by the end of this year.
The Abita Restoration Ale is a tribute to the reconstruction efforts going on in New Orleans and percentages of the profits of the sale of the beer goes to the New Orleans relief effort. Restoration Ale is a complex beer with parts of lager, pale and pils hops added for a robust flavor that works. Surprisingly light tasting for as much that they're adding to it.
LaGunitas Pilsner - Brewed in Petaluma, CA, LaGunitas Brewing Co. makes a number of craft brews that are available in nearly 20 states across the nation. Iowa isn't one of them. Their Czech style Pilsner isn't as good as Capital's Special Pilsner, but it's not bad.
Barley Island Blind Tiger Pale Ale - Barley Island Brewery is located in Noblesville, IN, a suburb of Indianapolis. On the advice of a dealer in Indy who told me, "If you like Pale Ale's, you'll really like Blind Tiger." I picked up a six pack of this in Indy at a liquor store and it's not bad beer. The beer is based on a Prohibition-era recipe that gives it a smooth taste. In fact, the term "Blind Tiger" comes from when "Speakeasies" during Prohibition would put a stuffed tiger in the window to signify when they had beer.
Barley Island also has a brew pub and I'll have to check that out the next time I go out to Indianapolis.
Great Divide Denver Pale Ale - I'm not big on Colorado brewed beers, but Great Divide Brewing's flagship beer, the Denver Pale Ale, is big on taste and full bodied. I was pleasantly surprised by this beer when I was out in Denver last fall. I was able to find a couple six packs of it when I was at Friar Tuck's not long ago.
Boulevard Pale Ale - Kansas City's Boulevard Brewing Co. makes my favorite Pale Ale. Great taste, strong finish, wonderful with any meat dish, especially with beef. Wonderful stuff.
Summit Extra Pale Ale - An extremely forward tasting Pale Ale, St. Paul's Summit Extra Pale Ale has been brewed since 1986. If you like Pale Ale's, but would like to have something a little more hoppy and bitter, this is the beer.
Boulevard Irish Ale - I fell in love with this seasonal beer from Boulevard a couple years ago and I always have to buy a couple cases when it becomes available in February each year. Irish Ale is a copper colored beer that has a smoky coffee and caramel flavor to it. More of a sipping beer, it's good with food of all types.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - One of the best Pale Ale's out there. Since 1980, Sierra Nevada has been brewing their Pale Ale and it has become one of the most highly regarded beers in the country. A seven time Gold Medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival.
Berghoff Pale Ale - I used to like Berghoff beer a lot, but the Huber Brewery in Monroe, WI either changed recipes or they've forgotten what brought them to the party. Probably the least favorite of the Pale Ale's I have in the beer fridge, I'll probably use this for cooking brats.
Berghoff Lager - Same with the above, there's some changes going on with this beer, as well. What used to be one of my favorite beers in the world, Berghoff Lager has changed over the past couple of years. Even if you go to the Huber Brewery site, you'll see that it's under construction, as well. I'm still a little miffed that Huber decided to discontinue their wonderful winter seasonal beer - Berghoff Hazelnut Winter Lager. That was a great winter beer with a touch of hazelnut in the taste.
Three Floyds Alpha King Pale Ale - Called by many as the best Pale Ale in the nation, Indiana's Three Floyd's Brewery is fast becoming known as one of the better craft brewers in the nation. Located in the far SE suburbs of Chicago, I've wanted to go to their brew pub during my trips to the city, but have never found the time. The Alpha King Pale Ale has a rich flavor and smooth aftertaste, wonderful with all different types of food. Boulevard Pale Ale may be my favorite Pale Ale at this time, but Three Floyd Alpha King is fast becoming a favorite.
Sol - My favorite Mexican beer. Light, good flavor. A wonderful year round beer especially when served with Mexican food. It reminds me of drinking on Isla Mujeres. And the good thing about it, it's now available in Iowa. But I still buy it at Sal's in suburban Chicago because it's appreciably cheaper there than here in Iowa.
Tecate - Cindy likes Tecate a little more than I do. A good full bodied Mexican beer, it works well with spicy foods.
Dos Equis Amber - My second favorite Mexican beer. A very German-style Mexican beer with a full-bodied taste cuts right through the hot and spicy Mexican food that I love so well.
Dos Equis Lager - In my opinion, not quite as good as the Amber, but a good Mexican beer, nonetheless. It isn't quite as hoppy as the Amber, and has a nice smooth taste. You can drink this beer with or without a lime.
Capital Fest - Capital's summer seasonal beer that's available from May thru July. Capital imports genuine German malts for this beer giving it a full body and a complex, yet smooth, taste. Damn, Capital makes some great beers.
Michigan Brewing Company Mackinac Pale Ale - Brewed in Webberville, MI, just outside of Lansing, I was drawn to this beer by the label (left). Since we'd been up to Mackinac Island and have driven across the Mackinac Bridge, I got to looking at the label. I thought I'd give the beer a try. More of an American Pale Ale than an English style, the Mackinac Pale Ale has a medium body to it with a very fresh finish. While not as flavorful as I look for in a Pale Ale, it's still a pretty good beer.
Pabst Blue Ribbon - I keep PBR around the house for my buddy, Randy Brekke, who comes over from time to time. That's about all he drinks. But, then again, Pabst is making a comeback at college campuses across the nation because it's cheap beer. And it's really not all that bad. I only have it cans now, it's not available in bottles in stores in Iowa. At least I haven't found any in bottles. I'll have to pick some bottles up the next time I go up to Milwaukee.
Just recently, my friend Shawn Eldridge brought over a couple bottles each of the New Glarus beers he thought I'd like - the Totally Naked seasonal beer, and the Stone Soup seasonal beer. I've never been a fan of the New Glarus beers, but when he was over one time recently, he said I may like these two. I'll definitely give them a shot.
He also left a couple bottles of South Shore Brewery's Cream Ale brewed in Ashland, WI. I'm not a big fan of Cream Ale's, but I told him I'd give it a try.
Sitting on the deck and enjoying a good cold beer is a great way for me to unwind at the end of the day. It's one of the major reasons I love summer so much.
Now that's what I'm talking about! What a great picture!
Posted by: Peter Lawrence | July 10, 2007 at 10:33 AM
Boy, you DO like pale ale's, don't you? There's this pale ale beer down here that's brewed up in Huntsville called Old Town pale ale. I've had it a couple of times and it's good. Not as good as Schlafly's pale, but still good. I'll see if I can send you some of this beer and see what you think.
Posted by: Tim Lake | July 11, 2007 at 10:50 AM