Even though I'm 29 years old, I am a beer newbie. I only started drinking
it regularly maybe 6 months ago. I never really liked any of the mass
produced beers until I tried Killians.

Now I'm looking for something better. I don't know what it is about
Killians I like...maybe the hops taste? I've tried Red Hook ESB and it
seemed to lack that particular taste. I have tried India Pale Ale and I
think it had more of that taste I'm looking for, but I found it to have
quite a bitter aftertaste.

Sorry to be so vague...but if someone has suggestions of a "high end"
Killians type ale, your pointers would be appreciated.

Begin drwtsn32 quote:

; Now I'm looking for something better. I don't know what it is about
; Killians I like...maybe the hops taste? I've tried Red Hook ESB and it
; seemed to lack that particular taste. I have tried India Pale Ale and I
; think it had more of that taste I'm looking for, but I found it to have
; quite a bitter aftertaste.

Red Hook ESB is a specific beer. India Pale Ale is a style of beer,
many brewers make it. And naturally, each one is slightly different
from the others. If you've decided that an IPA is at least close to
what you like, then I suggest two things:

Try IPAs from many different brewers. See if a beer store near you
will let you make "mix-packs". You can then get one bottle from each
brewer to see which you prefer. Without knowing where you are, it's
hard to make specific recommendations.

Try other beers in the ale lines. One of my favorites is the Golden
Ale.

--
Jeffrey Kaplan www.gordol.org
The from userid is killfiled Send personal mail to gordol

"I'm also not very analytical. You know I don't spend s lot of time
thinking about myself, why I do things." - George W. Bush, Jun 4, 2002

I'll try to answer your question a little better. Beeradvocate.com (great
site if you're interested in beer by the way) classifies Killian's Irish Red
as a "Euro Dark Lager." So this style may be what you're looking for, but
the top beers from this style may not be so easy to find. There is a
Russian beer in this category called Afanasy which I have had and can say is
pretty good. You should be able to find it at a good package store.

Another beer I would recommend that you might like is St. Rogue Red Ale.
You will find this refreshingly more hoppy than Killian's but it has enough
maltiness to balance.

The more different styles of beer you try, the more you will learn about the
different tastes and characteristics of each. And you may not like a
particular style the first time you try it, but as your pallate develops you
may find that you acquire a taste for these beers later on. I wasn't a big
fan of IPAs when I started sampling good beers, but I really like them now.
Try to get your hands on some IPAs from the west coast if you can
(Bridgeport from Oregon is truly awesome). They have a different flavor
profile than the more traditional IPAs.

"drwtsn32" > wrote in message
...
> Even though I'm 29 years old, I am a beer newbie. I only started drinking
> it regularly maybe 6 months ago. I never really liked any of the mass
> produced beers until I tried Killians.
>
> Now I'm looking for something better. I don't know what it is about
> Killians I like...maybe the hops taste? I've tried Red Hook ESB and it
> seemed to lack that particular taste. I have tried India Pale Ale and I
> think it had more of that taste I'm looking for, but I found it to have
> quite a bitter aftertaste.
>
> Sorry to be so vague...but if someone has suggestions of a "high end"
> Killians type ale, your pointers would be appreciated.
>

I'll try to answer your question a little better. Beeradvocate.com (great
site if you're interested in beer by the way) classifies Killian's Irish Red
as a "Euro Dark Lager." So this style may be what you're looking for, but
the top beers from this style may not be so easy to find. There is a
Russian beer in this category called Afanasy which I have had and can say is
pretty good. You should be able to find it at a good package store.

Another beer I would recommend that you might like is St. Rogue Red Ale.
You will find this refreshingly more hoppy than Killian's but it has enough
maltiness to balance.

The more different styles of beer you try, the more you will learn about the
different tastes and characteristics of each. And you may not like a
particular style the first time you try it, but as your pallate develops you
may find that you acquire a taste for these beers later on. I wasn't a big
fan of IPAs when I started sampling good beers, but I really like them now.
Try to get your hands on some IPAs from the west coast if you can
(Bridgeport from Oregon is truly awesome). They have a different flavor
profile than the more traditional IPAs.

"drwtsn32" > wrote in message
...
> Even though I'm 29 years old, I am a beer newbie. I only started drinking
> it regularly maybe 6 months ago. I never really liked any of the mass
> produced beers until I tried Killians.
>
> Now I'm looking for something better. I don't know what it is about
> Killians I like...maybe the hops taste? I've tried Red Hook ESB and it
> seemed to lack that particular taste. I have tried India Pale Ale and I
> think it had more of that taste I'm looking for, but I found it to have
> quite a bitter aftertaste.
>
> Sorry to be so vague...but if someone has suggestions of a "high end"
> Killians type ale, your pointers would be appreciated.
>

> Try to get your hands on some IPAs from the west coast if you can
> (Bridgeport from Oregon is truly awesome). They have a different flavor
> profile than the more traditional IPAs.

Hah, that's exactly the IPA I just purchased. I was going to get the Red
Hook IPA one but this caught my eye. I do find it kind of bitter but I may
come to appreciate it some more as time goes on.

Thanks for the tips. I'm just going to sample several beers in the coming
weeks and enjoy it.

> Red Hook ESB is a specific beer. India Pale Ale is a style of beer,

I was going to purchase Red Hook IPA but ended up getting Bridgeport IPA. I
may try the Red Hook one to compare the taste between the two.

> from the others. If you've decided that an IPA is at least close to
> what you like, then I suggest two things:

That's just it...I'm not sure if IPA is what I'm looking for. I just need
to try out several beers I think.

> Try IPAs from many different brewers. See if a beer store near you
> will let you make "mix-packs". You can then get one bottle from each
> brewer to see which you prefer. Without knowing where you are, it's
> hard to make specific recommendations.

Good idea about the mix-packs. BTW, I am in Washington state.

Begin drwtsn32 quote:

; > Red Hook ESB is a specific beer. India Pale Ale is a style of beer,
;
; I was going to purchase Red Hook IPA but ended up getting Bridgeport IPA. I
; may try the Red Hook one to compare the taste between the two.

Red Hook IPA is an OK beer, but nothing special. At least here on the
other side of the country where they brew out of Portsmouth, NH. IMO,
Red Hook has dumbed down their beers. Although A-B denies it, I think
it's due at least in part to A-B owning a piece of them.

; > from the others. If you've decided that an IPA is at least close to
; > what you like, then I suggest two things:
;
; That's just it...I'm not sure if IPA is what I'm looking for. I just need
; to try out several beers I think.

Always a good idea.

; Good idea about the mix-packs. BTW, I am in Washington state.

I understand that WA has several very good microbreweries.

--
Jeffrey Kaplan www.gordol.org
The from userid is killfiled Send personal mail to gordol

"The NEA [National Education Association] is a terrorist organization."
- Education Secretary Rod Paige, 2/2004

Begin drwtsn32 quote:

; > Red Hook ESB is a specific beer. India Pale Ale is a style of beer,
;
; I was going to purchase Red Hook IPA but ended up getting Bridgeport IPA. I
; may try the Red Hook one to compare the taste between the two.

Red Hook IPA is an OK beer, but nothing special. At least here on the
other side of the country where they brew out of Portsmouth, NH. IMO,
Red Hook has dumbed down their beers. Although A-B denies it, I think
it's due at least in part to A-B owning a piece of them.

; > from the others. If you've decided that an IPA is at least close to
; > what you like, then I suggest two things:
;
; That's just it...I'm not sure if IPA is what I'm looking for. I just need
; to try out several beers I think.

Always a good idea.

; Good idea about the mix-packs. BTW, I am in Washington state.

I understand that WA has several very good microbreweries.

--
Jeffrey Kaplan www.gordol.org
The from userid is killfiled Send personal mail to gordol

"The NEA [National Education Association] is a terrorist organization."
- Education Secretary Rod Paige, 2/2004

Dan Menasha wrote:

> I'll try to answer your question a little better. Beeradvocate.com (great
> site if you're interested in beer by the way) classifies Killian's Irish Red
> as a "Euro Dark Lager." So this style may be what you're looking for, but
> the top beers from this style may not be so easy to find. There is a
> Russian beer in this category called Afanasy which I have had and can say is
> pretty good. You should be able to find it at a good package store.
>

Sounds like it might be similar to "Buzz Millenium" beer, a hemp-based
red lager brewed by the Cool Beer Brewing Co. of Brampton, Ontario.
Here's their website:

http://www.coolbeer.com/home.html

--
Bruce Weaver

www.angelfire.com/wv/bwhomedir

drwtsn32 > wrote:
>> Try to get your hands on some IPAs from the west coast if you can
>> (Bridgeport from Oregon is truly awesome). They have a different flavor
>> profile than the more traditional IPAs.
>
>Hah, that's exactly the IPA I just purchased. I was going to get the Red
>Hook IPA one but this caught my eye. I do find it kind of bitter but I may
>come to appreciate it some more as time goes on.

If you find IPA too bitter, try any US craft beer
labeled Pale Ale. They're generally less bitter but
have the same general characteristics as US-brewed IPA.
--
Joel Plutchak "Eat everything. Have fun." - Julia Child.
plutchak at [...]

drwtsn32 > wrote:
>> Try to get your hands on some IPAs from the west coast if you can
>> (Bridgeport from Oregon is truly awesome). They have a different flavor
>> profile than the more traditional IPAs.
>
>Hah, that's exactly the IPA I just purchased. I was going to get the Red
>Hook IPA one but this caught my eye. I do find it kind of bitter but I may
>come to appreciate it some more as time goes on.

If you find IPA too bitter, try any US craft beer
labeled Pale Ale. They're generally less bitter but
have the same general characteristics as US-brewed IPA.
--
Joel Plutchak "Eat everything. Have fun." - Julia Child.
plutchak at [...]

Rogue's in Portland, and they brew a pretty broad range of beers. Their
Dead Guy Ale is quite approachable, and decent. If you want to try some
good stouts, their Chocolate and Shakespeare stouts are exceptional.
Fish Tale is pretty highly-regarded, though I think they tend to make
more aggressive beers. That being said, their Poseidon Imperial Stout is
pretty incredible stuff.

For Pale Ales, Stone IPA is very hoppy, but it's more of a citric
character than pure bitterness. FYI, for good places to hit to find
different beers, here's a generic Ratebeer link:

http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/FindC...asp?StateID=47
--
************************************************** ***************
Dan Iwerks thinks that the beer you're drinking probably sucks.
The fundamental problem with Solipsism is it makes me
responsible for the fact that you're a complete idiot.
************************************************** ***************

On Thu, 4 Nov 2004, it was written:

> Rogue's in Portland, and they brew a pretty broad range of beers. Their
> Dead Guy Ale is quite approachable, and decent. If you want to try some
> good stouts, their Chocolate and Shakespeare stouts are exceptional.
> Fish Tale is pretty highly-regarded, though I think they tend to make
> more aggressive beers. That being said, their Poseidon Imperial Stout is
> pretty incredible stuff.
>
> For Pale Ales, Stone IPA is very hoppy, but it's more of a citric
> character than pure bitterness. FYI, for good places to hit to find
> different beers, here's a generic Ratebeer link:
>
> http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/FindC...asp?StateID=47
> --

I'm going to agree with the malty recommendations here.

If Killians is more to your liking and something like Bridgeport IPA
(which I would consider fairly typical for IPA) was still a tad bitter,
then I recommend the maltier beers: Rogue's stouts and porters (OK,
Shakespeare is pretty hoppy), brown ale, and dead guy ale.
Look into any dark lagers, this list includes Killians and some that are
like it, including some that are better:
http://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/TopB...asp?StyleID=36

Also try these:
http://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/TopB...asp?StyleID=28
or these:
http://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/TopB...asp?StyleID=29

I guess thats enough ratebeer for any one usenet post! lol

On Thu, 4 Nov 2004, it was written:

> Rogue's in Portland, and they brew a pretty broad range of beers. Their
> Dead Guy Ale is quite approachable, and decent. If you want to try some
> good stouts, their Chocolate and Shakespeare stouts are exceptional.
> Fish Tale is pretty highly-regarded, though I think they tend to make
> more aggressive beers. That being said, their Poseidon Imperial Stout is
> pretty incredible stuff.
>
> For Pale Ales, Stone IPA is very hoppy, but it's more of a citric
> character than pure bitterness. FYI, for good places to hit to find
> different beers, here's a generic Ratebeer link:
>
> http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/FindC...asp?StateID=47
> --

I'm going to agree with the malty recommendations here.

If Killians is more to your liking and something like Bridgeport IPA
(which I would consider fairly typical for IPA) was still a tad bitter,
then I recommend the maltier beers: Rogue's stouts and porters (OK,
Shakespeare is pretty hoppy), brown ale, and dead guy ale.
Look into any dark lagers, this list includes Killians and some that are
like it, including some that are better:
http://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/TopB...asp?StyleID=36

Also try these:
http://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/TopB...asp?StyleID=28
or these:
http://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/TopB...asp?StyleID=29

I guess thats enough ratebeer for any one usenet post! lol

drwtsn32 wrote:

>>Red Hook ESB is a specific beer. India Pale Ale is a style of beer,
>
> I was going to purchase Red Hook IPA but ended up getting Bridgeport IPA. I
> may try the Red Hook one to compare the taste between the two.

Redhook IPA is much milder and less bitter than BridgePort IPA.
Redhook ESB is closer to Killian's. Don't know if you'd like a
darker beer; if so, you could give Redhook's seasonal Winterhook a
try.

>>from the others. If you've decided that an IPA is at least close to
>>what you like, then I suggest two things:
>
> That's just it...I'm not sure if IPA is what I'm looking for. I just need
> to try out several beers I think.

You might want to try different pale ales - Pyramid, Hale's, Maritime
Pacific - to see if they're in the range you like. Maybe some imports
too - Fuller's, from London, has a range of bottled ales worth trying,
including London Pride, ESB, and IPA.

>[...] BTW, I am in Washington state.

Where in Washington? If you're in the Seattle metro area or in
Bellingham, there are specialty beer stores you might want to check
out.
--
dgs

drwtsn32 wrote:

>>Red Hook ESB is a specific beer. India Pale Ale is a style of beer,
>
> I was going to purchase Red Hook IPA but ended up getting Bridgeport IPA. I
> may try the Red Hook one to compare the taste between the two.

Redhook IPA is much milder and less bitter than BridgePort IPA.
Redhook ESB is closer to Killian's. Don't know if you'd like a
darker beer; if so, you could give Redhook's seasonal Winterhook a
try.

>>from the others. If you've decided that an IPA is at least close to
>>what you like, then I suggest two things:
>
> That's just it...I'm not sure if IPA is what I'm looking for. I just need
> to try out several beers I think.

You might want to try different pale ales - Pyramid, Hale's, Maritime
Pacific - to see if they're in the range you like. Maybe some imports
too - Fuller's, from London, has a range of bottled ales worth trying,
including London Pride, ESB, and IPA.

>[...] BTW, I am in Washington state.

Where in Washington? If you're in the Seattle metro area or in
Bellingham, there are specialty beer stores you might want to check
out.
--
dgs

"drwtsn32" > wrote in
:

> Even though I'm 29 years old, I am a beer newbie. I only started
> drinking it regularly maybe 6 months ago. I never really liked any of
> the mass produced beers until I tried Killians.
>
> Now I'm looking for something better. I don't know what it is about
> Killians I like...maybe the hops taste? I've tried Red Hook ESB and
> it seemed to lack that particular taste. I have tried India Pale Ale
> and I think it had more of that taste I'm looking for, but I found it
> to have quite a bitter aftertaste.

Hmmm...something between Killian's and (from your other post) Bridgeport
IPA.

Well, both of these are quite palatable without being as hoppy as an IPA,
which is my beer of choice.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Prohibition Ale

Some sort of Imperial Stout might fit the bill also, as long as you're
feeling adventurous (compared to Killian's).

YMMV, of course, especially since I prefer my beers hoppy rather than
malty.

The *best* thing to do is find some liquor store where the owner loves
beer and lets you "mix a six" -- that is, grab an empty sixpack, and fill
it from the coolers with beers of your choice. That way, you can always
try a few new ones, and still have some good 'ole favorites to fall back
on. My local has 571 different beers. I'm like a kid in a candy store
every time I go.

--
~sethra
Who is, BTW, drinking some Bridgeport.

"drwtsn32" > wrote in
:

> Even though I'm 29 years old, I am a beer newbie. I only started
> drinking it regularly maybe 6 months ago. I never really liked any of
> the mass produced beers until I tried Killians.
>
> Now I'm looking for something better. I don't know what it is about
> Killians I like...maybe the hops taste? I've tried Red Hook ESB and
> it seemed to lack that particular taste. I have tried India Pale Ale
> and I think it had more of that taste I'm looking for, but I found it
> to have quite a bitter aftertaste.

Hmmm...something between Killian's and (from your other post) Bridgeport
IPA.

Well, both of these are quite palatable without being as hoppy as an IPA,
which is my beer of choice.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Prohibition Ale

Some sort of Imperial Stout might fit the bill also, as long as you're
feeling adventurous (compared to Killian's).

YMMV, of course, especially since I prefer my beers hoppy rather than
malty.

The *best* thing to do is find some liquor store where the owner loves
beer and lets you "mix a six" -- that is, grab an empty sixpack, and fill
it from the coolers with beers of your choice. That way, you can always
try a few new ones, and still have some good 'ole favorites to fall back
on. My local has 571 different beers. I'm like a kid in a candy store
every time I go.

--
~sethra
Who is, BTW, drinking some Bridgeport.