ATTENTION Beer Drinkers
Ladies and gentlemen I have recently run into a bit of a problem... I have a bit of a problem and I am turning to you guys.
First I want to thank and blame you for introducing me to the world of craft brews. I have a collection of over 60 different kinds of beers at home, the vast majority purchased on the other side of the border.
Second I want to say FUCK YOU to anyone who created/posted in a drinking thread... you asshats are the reason I am both loving life and the creators of this problem.
Now for the problem; the Canadian dollar is getting worse and worse which is causing me to spend more money over in Michigan when I'm purchasing my beer. In the fall it was costing me, on average, an extra $5/24 beers, which I was more than happy with as 6 packs are more expensive and the quality of beer is better.
This past weekend thanks to the struggling Canadian Dollar it cost an extra $12/24 beers.
I call on you MGoBloggers, where if anywhere is beer cheaper? Not sure how the prices are determined, over here it's all done through government retailers so prices are the same no matter where you buy.
Thanks for any and all help
and i guess i should also ask for suggestions on beer and on stores that have a wide variety in and around AA.
February 10th, 2014 at 8:11 PM ^
you pay for the flight and give me a couch to sleep on and im down... otherwise not a chance in hell. I don't plan on going to California until I have a reason to attend the Rose Bowl.
February 10th, 2014 at 8:04 PM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 8:12 PM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 9:19 PM ^
I was in California this summer, and Russian River and Alesmith are what everyone raved about whenever I asked, but I found Pliny and Speedway to be somewhat overrated. Still very good... but I'm curious to know what you consider the top brews.
February 10th, 2014 at 9:27 PM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 9:40 PM ^
I'll have to look into those in the future...
California beer is great, but I do have a slight preference for stouts, and have yet to find anything better than Expedition or KBS.
February 10th, 2014 at 9:30 PM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 10:20 PM ^
my restaurant: Tuning Fork Gastropub carries only craft beer and very few brewed outside of california. we're all michigan transplants who love great craft beer. we wish we could get Founder's and Bell's out here but can't. If you haven't tried Ballast Point or Lagunitas then you definitely should. Obviously Stone as well as Hangar 24, Speakeasy, Russian River, and Bootleggers Brewery and many more. if you like cans then Golden Road Brewery is good stuff as well and they just made a deal with Costco so it might be heading out of CA.
here is the current beer menu link: http://tuningforkgastropub.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/TF_DRINK-MENU_FEB-14.pdf and that doesn't include the Taps which rotate pretty much weekly. http://www.beermenus.com/places/10825-tuning-fork-gastropub lists what is currently on tap.
February 10th, 2014 at 10:13 PM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 8:28 PM ^
If your knowledge of California beers ends with Sierra Nevada; I'd say you're unqualified to speak on this topic.
Eel River Brewery, Russian River Brewing (Piney the Elder is THE CA beer), Lost Coast Brewery, Anchor in San Fran, and Lagunitas ALL have some of the greatest beers on planet earth.
Sure; Oregon and Michigan have some good beers. But to me (I live in Montana but drink all over) California is the #1 state for beer (NorCal that is).
February 10th, 2014 at 8:44 PM ^
This raises more than one question in my mind.
February 10th, 2014 at 8:58 PM ^
Not to mention Firestone Walker, The Bruery, Ballast Point, Green Flash, AleSmith, Alpine, etc. California makes some great brews, especially IPAs. However, to say Michigan and Oregon just have some "good" beers is an understatement, imo. I'll take KBS and The Abyss over anything brewed in California. Those are both world class stouts, and I prefer an excellent stout to an excellent IPA. For IPAs though, California brewers make the best.
Speaking of stouts, Dieu de Ciel Peche Mortel is an excellent imperial stout from Canada.
February 10th, 2014 at 9:18 PM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 9:38 PM ^
Something in Michigan that rivals California brews? Founders KBS, in my opinion, blows anything brewed in California away. If you like really hoppy beers, though, you're not going to agree with me. Taste in beer is an opinion and everybody has one. I do love me some hoppy California IPAs, though. A fresh Sculpin is one of my favorite beers.
Also, I say that Vermont is the best beer state for the size. Lawson's Finest Liquids and The Alchemist (Heady Topper) are incredible breweries, and Hill Farmstead is arguably the best brewery in the world.
February 10th, 2014 at 10:08 PM ^
California beer is great but Michigan's big advantage is great, clean, pure, water. The beer tastes better going down.
PS - Norcal over SoCal by a mile.
February 10th, 2014 at 10:35 PM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 10:29 PM ^
I was going to say, I have had a few of the easier to source "top" Cali IPAs (PtE, Blind Pig, Sculpin, Union Jack, and Alesmith IPA) and none of them touched Double Sunshine, Susan, Abner, or Heady Topper for me and I prefer the same dry/unbalanced "West Coast" IPAs that I am guessing she does.
February 10th, 2014 at 10:58 PM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 11:33 PM ^
I am guessing our palates are pretty similar when it comes to IPAs given the beers you have listed now and in the past in drinking threads (PtE was honestly underwhelming to me given the hype, I truly like Sucks better). Unfortunately, there aren't many bottled beers from MI that fulfill that criteria as our breweries tend to be a bit more malt forward outside of the taproom one offs and smaller breweries that don't distribute. One I would definitely recommend (although it is an APA) is Odd Side Citra Pale from Grand Haven, MI.
February 11th, 2014 at 4:50 AM ^
the Odd Side Citra Pale you're referring to? Though I'm sure I could Google it to find out, I wasn't aware of any brewpubs in Grand Haven other than Old Boys in nearby Spring Lake. Been there a few times with cousins and my Uncle that lives in Spring Lake; as much as he likes his ales, I'm surprised he hasn't mentioned any other brewpubs in that area.
BTW, Old Boys Brewhouse is another worthwhile stop---pretty good menu, too.
(edit: I did go and google it; found out that "Odd Side" is the name of the brewpub and many highly favorable mentions of the Citra Pale Ale. Another beer stop for the future.)
February 11th, 2014 at 8:13 AM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 11:03 PM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 11:17 PM ^
None of those beers are available outside of VT unless you are willing to trade with people who travel there or live there (BA and r/beertrade), I was listing my favorite VT beers because he mentioned it as a great beer state and I did a beercation there last summer. What time in the summer do you usually come?
February 11th, 2014 at 2:34 AM ^
February 11th, 2014 at 9:59 AM ^
If you are in A2 go to the Plum Market off Jackson and Maple. They have an excellent selection of Michigan brews.
February 10th, 2014 at 10:10 PM ^
In metro Chicago / NW Indiana you have tons more great ones like Three Floyd's, Half Acre, Two Brothers, Revolution, and Finch's.
Several of these are as good or better than any CA beer I have had. Although I must say Firestone Walker DBA and Lagunitas Sucks are excellent beers.
February 10th, 2014 at 10:21 PM ^
Societe
February 10th, 2014 at 10:32 PM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 10:42 PM ^
Yeah, I am well aware of BA and BeerFly. I often use it and r/beer to find out where to go when I am traveling. I would love to make it out to California for a beercation sometime but I would need at least 2 weeks to make it from SoCal to Norcal (your state is too damn big, VT made things easy) and try all the breweries I want to try. I had a long post typed up for you and decided to delete it, but in my beer drinking lifetime I have visited over 100 breweries and in the past year alone I tried 400+ unique beers. I havent been through a state where I was unable to find beer or breweries I really liked and this includes states like IA (Toppling Goliath) and SD (Crow Peak). You should be more open to beer from other places, if you only drink SoCal beer you are missing out big time.
February 10th, 2014 at 11:11 PM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 11:20 PM ^
as in Grand Rapids?
If so, you live in Beer Heaven, there are so many great brews coming from that area...
Red'sRye P.A. is my personal favorite of the regular rotation Founders makes and distributes; and so very many great more IPA's and Stouts and Porters and Specialty Brews (KBS, Backwoods Bastard, etc., etc.) at Founders (just uncapped a Founder's Centennial IPA to sip as I post), but there are also a lot of other fantastic brewpubs and microbreweries in that area. Brewery Vivant has come up with some tasty Belgian brews, I'm sure you are familar with them. Perrins seems to have gotten off to a fine start, and too many other places that I could go on and on about, and I live 75 miles away.
Closer to my part of the state are Bells, Darkhorse, Arcadia, Olde Peninsula, The Livery, Greenbush, Tapistry. Then head east towards AA/Detroit or north (Shorts is in the Traverse City region) or even venture across the border into Northern Indiana (3 Floyds) or Greater Chicago. So little time and functioning brain cells, so many brews!
I look forward to someday spending some time and $$$ touring California and the Brewpubs out there, but I find it hard to believe that they can top many of the brews produced by the small sampling of Michigan Breweries I listed above.
February 10th, 2014 at 10:15 PM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 7:59 PM ^
Sorry for the thread jack, but since I rarely post and never get points when I do, I cannot make my own thread. So...
As of today Bell's is available in NYC. In fact, as we speak, a launch event is occuring at the Double Windsor with Larry Bell in attendance. Get some.
February 10th, 2014 at 8:01 PM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 8:04 PM ^
It is Larry's "baseball beer" so he wanted it year around in Florida and Arizona where spring training occurs.
February 10th, 2014 at 8:29 PM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 8:00 PM ^
Wine>liquor>beer
February 10th, 2014 at 8:05 PM ^
Wine=liqour=beer
All have world-class selections, all have crappy selection
February 11th, 2014 at 4:27 AM ^
I'll take Dom Perignon over any beer you can supply. Why would I want to drink 10+ beers in order to get drunk ? A bottle of wine is perfect, your feeling pretty good but your still in control. I remember back in highschool at a house party I drank a bottle of $300 champaign. BAAAALLLIINNNN.
February 11th, 2014 at 9:05 AM ^
WHO NAME THEMSELVES AFTER A BAG???
REALLY?
February 10th, 2014 at 9:58 PM ^
You're Gucci, shouldn't it be Drank>wine>liquor>beer
February 10th, 2014 at 8:01 PM ^
A hidden treasure in Metro Detroit with some decent pricing, in my opinion, has to be Beer Baron in Livonia - it's in the Middlebelt / St. Martin area. It's not a huge store, but the selection is phenomenal and you can create your own six-pack as well. Next time you're over here, I would recommend it.
February 10th, 2014 at 8:07 PM ^
now this is something I'll have to look into. Might just be a reason to head over early for the hockey game next saturday
February 10th, 2014 at 8:14 PM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 8:17 PM ^
gosh darnnit i guess i forgot to mention i'm looking for good tasting beer. next thing you now I'll be told about Miller Light... brutal beers that are worse than the light beer i refuse to drink over here
February 10th, 2014 at 8:41 PM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 9:19 PM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 8:24 PM ^
Actually, I seconded it up above, before I saw this post. My daughter and son-in-law have no dearth of beer in Alexandria, but they make a point of visiting the Beer Baron every time they are in town. They have small events from time to time as well. One of our trips brought us face to face with the Brewmaster from the B. Nektar Meadery in Ferndale - we got to sample several of their meads.
February 10th, 2014 at 8:18 PM ^
February 10th, 2014 at 8:28 PM ^
They're difficult to spot because they used a plain mothercarton on this batch as opposed to the Hopslam printed carton. If it makes you feel any better, they have four or five more pallets set aside for the General Store, so it'll be around for a minute at least.