Speaking of Beer

Next week’s beers are:

Unibroue’s Éphémère (Apple) [alternatives: New Glarus Apple Ale, ...maybe Lienenkugel's Apple Spice. I suppose in pinch a hard apple cider will do, though you should really look for an apple beer]

and

Lindeman’s Framboise [alternatives: Celis Raspberry, Liefman's Frambozenbier, any "raspberry" or "framboise"]

Guess the theme? (I should hope so…)

OK, when I said I’d take a break from west-coast beers, I kinda lied. Still, at least on the next show I’m spreading the love a little. The beers are:

Shipyard IPA [alternatives: Samuel Smith's India Ale, Fuller's India Pale Ale, Summit India Pale Ale]

and

Lagunitas IPA [alternatives: Stone IPA, AleSmith IPA, Bell's Two Hearted Ale]

The theme is probably apparent, but hey, it’s a good one!

More North American West Coast micros (I’ll really try to take a break from this theme next time, promise!).

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale [alternatives: Anchor Liberty Ale, Stone Pale Ale, Alpha King Pale Ale, Bell's Pale Ale]

Bridgeport IPA [alternatives: Victory Hop Devil Ale, Snake Dog IPA, Saranac India Pale Ale, Samuel Smith's India Pale Ale]

Hopheads out there, this is a good week for you!

This week, things should be relatively easy for the North American crowd, and hopefully not too tough for everyone else either. The beers are:

Redhook ESB [alternatives: Fuller's ESB, Victory ESB, Bridgeport ESB, or any other "ESB"]

and

Red Tail Ale from the Mendocino Brewing Co. [alternatives: Full Sail Amber, Bell's Amber, Fat Tire, or anything called "amber"]

Both beers are generally “ambers,” but the Redhook alternate should be a little less full-bodied than the Red Tail.

Hey all you drink-alongers…I’ve got some bad news. Show #10 is going to change things up a little, and while there are going to be two beers tasted, they aren’t available…well, pretty much anywhere. However, one is an Imperial Stout (relatively common), and the other a Belgian IPA (relatively rare), so perhaps with a little digging you can unearth examples of one or both styles just to “get into it.”

Not that anybody is fretting, but if you are, stop. This is a temporary shake-up, and we’ll settle back into the old format with Show #11.

This show’s beers, and the styles thereof, span the corners of the globe. So, hopefully, international drink-alongers can bat at least .500. The beers are:

Hoegaarden White Beer [alternatives: Celis White, Blue Moon Belgian White, Blanche de Chambly, Samuel Adams White Ale]

Alaskan Summer Ale [alternatives: Pyramid Curveball Ale, Shiner Kölsch, Reissdorf Kölsch, Flying Dog Tire Bite Ale, any beer calling itself "kölsch" or "kölsch style"]

Here are the beers for next week. If you live west of the Mississippi, or outside the US altogether, please consider the alternative selections. I think they’re pretty reasonable this time:

Yuengling Traditional Lager [alternatives: Shiner Bock, JW Dundee's Original Honey Brown, Henry Weinhard's Classic Dark Lager, Warsteiner Premium Dunkel]

Victory Hop Devil Ale [alternatives: Stone IPA, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, AleSmith IPA, Fuller's India Pale Ale]

Next week’s beers are both uncommon and unique. For you drink-alongers, I most humbly apologize, and promise to include more widely available beers/styles on Show #8. Still, if you can scare one or both up, you’re in for a real experience!

Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner (2005 Noble Hop Harvest) [alternatives: Morimoto Imperial Pilsner, Dogfish Head Golden Shower, any beer calling itself an "imperial pilsner"]

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA [alternatives: ...uh...sorry folks, nothing else even comes close]

Seriously, good luck on these…Oh, and FYI, they’re both about as far from gateway beers as you can get.

Just curious…is anybody out there drinking along? I haven’t heard much in the way of “drink-along stories” or anything, so I’m not sure if these preshow posts are doing much for y’all. Still, it’s no skin off my proverbial nose to post them, so what-the-hey…

Next week it’ll be two darker beers.

Shiner Bock [alternatives: Saranac Adirondack Lager, Warsteiner Premium Dunkel, any "dark" "amber" or "dunkel" lager]

and

Newcastle Brown Ale [alternatives: Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale, Wychwood's Hobgoblin, Pete's Wicked Ale, any "brown ale"]

Newcastle’s available worldwide, but Shiner Bock is a fairly American phenomenon. You can check Shiner Bock’s availability here.

Oh, and you might even want to swing by your local grocery store and pick up a chicken. Yes, a chicken. You’ll see….

At first these two American microbrews appear very different from one another, but keen-eyed observers should pick up on the theme.

Full Sail Amber [alternatives: Red Rocket Ale, Rogue's American Amber, Fat Tire, any "red" or "amber" you can find]

Deschutes Black Butte Porter [alternatives: Sierra Nevada Porter, Odell's Cutthroat porter, Saranac Caramel Porter, any "porter"]