Post #84096 by Tikiwahine on Thu, Apr 1, 2004 5:09 PM

I'm finding that people are looking at me funny when I mention Canadian beers. I'll try to talk about things that are available in the US. There is so much crap available in grocery stores, and so many micro brewed beers that need to be discovered.

I love this thread, it gives those that rely on their every day beer an excuse to get out there and try something new!

There's a great US company called Winthrop Brewing Co., http://www.webspinnings.com/winthrop/ they make some nice beers.

Elizabeer Russian Imperial Stout brewed by Jackie Whittle from Anacortes Brewhouse in Washington state is a good one. She's a former brewer at Mad River in Blue Lake, Calif. She also makes a good Scottish Ale and Island Hopper IPA.

One thing to understand is that a hoppy flavour or aroma isn't necessarily a bad thing. Some people LOVE hoppy beers. I personally don't. My fiancé just made his first IPA and Oatmeal stouts from scratch, I didn't care for either of them since they are quite strong and hoppy, but that's what he likes.

I agree that CAMRA (The Campaign for Real Ale) is a fantastic place to find great beers. I belong to the Victoria chapter, they also organize the annual beer festival. One of the main reasons I joined was so that I could actually attend the festival, since tickets sell out more than a month before the event.

Thanks for posting your favorites and reviews, I think I'll try something new tonight myself!