Have One For Me

“If I get drunk, well, I’ll pass out
On the floor, now Baby…
And you won’t bother me no more.
And if you’re drinking, well you know
That You’re my friend and I say
I think I’ll have myself a beer.”

--Reel Big Fish from “Beer” from the LP Turn The Radio Off, 1993.

Two weeks removed from Heart Surgery and this weekend was the International Beer Festival in Peoria. I missed it, obviously and a beer does not even sound good right now. Still, I love the beverage and I do not mean that cheap Swill that is American, Rice-enhanced, commercially large and annoying, and stuff that people stole when they were in high school. College kids, I understand as I was a connoisseur of Stroh’s (thirty packs for $6.99 twenty years ago; so the excuses abound.

Here, in honor of a International Beer Festival I could not attend (and thanks to the blood thinner) may never attend again, are some beer styles and some handy-dandy suggestions for your quaffing desires.

Batfan63’s Best Beers Guide:

Ales: An ale is a beer made with top fermenting yeast and there are many choices. For an overall ale: Harps. Adnam's Broadside Ale and Fuller's London Pride, as Well as Spitfire were all excellent on tap in the London Pubs!

Types of Ale: Brown: From South England—dark brown, slightly sweeter, lower in alcohol: Try a Bell’s Best Brown or Newcastle on tap—Bells is OK in bottles—New Castles stink in bottles.

India Pale Ale (also known as an IPA): Hoppy beers made that way for the long voyages from England to India so it would stay fermented and fresh. I am a fan of the Two-Brothers Heavy Hops, but Hop Devil is considered the best American.
One. Any British IPA is somewhat less hoppy than the American.

Scotch Ale: Malt Accented ales. I think McEwans is generally considered the best, but I am a fan of (and believe this or not) Sam Adam’s Scotch Ale. I think it is much maltier. I like them.

Bitters: A Well-hopped Ale from England. Best of the lot: Samuel Smith ESB or Fuller’s ESB. Both are great and not as hoppy as an IPA. Great on tap when we were in London.

Bock: German term for a strong beer—bottle fermenting brew. So many choices, but I like Mai Bock.

Cream Ale: Very golden Mild Ale that can be blended with a lager. Boddington’s from England is the best.

Framboise: A lambic(pronounced Lamb-beak) that is raspberry. Lambics are Belgium beers that are wheat beers and taste light, but have a strong kick.

Lager: any Beer made by bottom fermenting. So many beers; take your pick. Start with a basic Sam Adams.

Marzen: Beer brewed in March in Germany, kept cool in caves, and then drawn up in fall. Most Octoberfest beers are considered Marzen’s. My favorite was Schell’s.

Pilsner: Gold colored dry bottom fermenting beer. Pilsner Urquell is the best and for the record—common beers like Budweiser, Miller, and the like are pilsner’s. There is an excellent Pils from New Glaris and to be honest, Goose Island Pils from Chicago is good.

Porters are like Stouts—London style of roasted dark beers that were made cheaply for the common masses (like a porter). Taddycaster Porter is the best.

Steam Beer—a uniquely American made beer made famous by Anchor Steam in San Francisco—no reason to try any other.

Stout—extra dark top fermenting brew made with roasted malt—Sweet Stout is British and Dry Stout is more Irish. The best: well I am partial to Young’s Oatmeal Stout and I love a good Guinness from Ireland. Samuel Smith makes a great stout as does Murphy’s. In America, they have made Coffee Stouts which I hate and I cannot stand Chocolate Stouts.

Trappist: Monks making very strong ales. Chimay is great.

Tripel is a triple bock. My Uncle would give the best as I am not a fan—even too strong for me and causes some of my worst hangovers.

Weisse is a wheat beer. There are so many good ones; and I love a banana, clove taste. Einbecker, Pinkus, Ayinger—Buble Boy, Erdinger, Paulaner (one of the best), Schneider, Franziskanner by Spaten, Kulmbacher, Maisel Kristall-Klar, and Tucher. These are all German. The best American Wheats in my opinion is In-Heat Wheat from Flying Dog, Schell’s, Edel Weisse from Two-Brothers, and New Glaris’s Wheat.

Enjoy and quaff one for me.