Beer!

Here's a list of a few of the Snoutbagger's favorite brews, in no particular order. There are many other beers I love, but these are the ones that come to mind...

FAVORITE BEERS

Chimay

Ah, Chimay. If pushed the Bagger would probably claim the Chimay white label as his all time favorite brew. It has a perfect balance. You must drink it from a special glass. So you know it must be good. It's an ale brewed by the Trappist monks.

Skullsplitter

Skullspliter is a Scottish brew made by the Orkney brewery. It's potent and yet very drinkable. C. Wright Parsons and I discovered it in Boston a few years back. I buy it often, though it is really expensive and only comes in 4 packs.

Samuel Adams Imperial White

Not to be confused with Sam Adams White Ale (which sucks), the Imperial White is a wheat beer and extremely good. I normally don't care for wheat beers much, but this one is excellent. It is uber-potent at over 10% ABV, but still drinkable. I absolutely love this stuff. It is also uber-expensive and only comes in 4 packs, which makes me want to throw the empty bottles against the wall in anger. 

 
Sapporo

I love Sapporo because it is clean and refreshing. When it's served really really cold there are fewer beers that are better, especially when it is hot outside and you need some suds to cool your shit down.


Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale

Only brewed once a year, Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot Ale is a barleywine style ale that is very heavy, rich, and intense. It's too boozy for your average quaffer, and a sixer of it can seriously alter your perceptions. I buy a few cases each winter when it is released. A high quality product for sure.


Gordon Biersch Blonde Bock

I have probably drunk more Blonde Bocks than any other beers that fall into the "heavy" brew category. It is strong but smooth. I purchased it almost exclusively for about 5 years in a row because it was the best thing my local grocery store carried.


Molson Ice

This beer holds a special place in the Bagger's heart because it was released around the time when he turned 21. It is boozier than a regular brew at 5.6%, but still light enough to drink in high quantities. Heh heh. I haven't seen it in the stores for quite awhile. It does cause a significant hangover however as two turn to twelve rather quickly.


Piraat Ale

Another Belgian ale, Piraat is a very strong beverage indeed. A few of these can really sneak up on you. It will make you fight. In some ways they are smoother and easier to drink than fellow Belgian brews such as Chimay or Duvel. Piraat is a fantastic ale. It's expensive though.


Michelob

Don't laugh. This domestic lager is great. It doesn't seem to be on many stores' shelves, but I buy it when I see it. The bottle is shaped like a chick, which makes it a quality product.


Anchor Steam

Anchor Steam is another brew that holds a special place in my heart because of the past memories it invokes. The Bagger attended college in Northern California, so this San Francisco based brew feels close to home. The university I attended had a pub on campus which had 3 or 4 beers on tap. Anchor Steam was one of them...how cool is that?


Stone Old Guardian

Stone makes many great brews. The Old Guardian is a massively powerful barleywine that can really fuck up your shit. It is relentless, heavy, and extremely rich. It comes in big bottles so you're forced to consume a lot of it. Beware the demons it has the power to summon though...only those with great fortitude can handle the Guardian.





SHITTY AND OVER-RATED BEERS

The following are a few beers that are either shitty or extremely over-rated:

Grolsch

Grolsch is the skunkiest beer on the planet. It is completely shitty, and the unique cork can't help that fact.


Arrogant Bastard Ale

Arrogant Bastard Ale is the K-Mart of tough guy beers. It boasts being a beast, but for a seasoned pro like the Snoutbagger the 7.2% ABV is laughable, and hardly much of a bastard. Seven percent can barely be considered boozy when many ales are routinely 8-10% ABV. Your typical barleywine can beat up the Arrogant Bastard while it holds Budweiser's head under water.


Rolling Rock

Popular for some reason with yuppies and frat boys with their heads up their asses, Rolling Rock is swill. It tastes like rain water.


Smithwick's

Smithwick's is one of those beers that people think is good because it's served in Irish Pubs. It isn't really that special, and it lacks body and flavor.

Guinness Stout

Most will probably see this as blasphemy, but there is no greater example of the emperor having no clothes in the world of beer than Guinness. It is not particularly boozy as people generally think, and it doesn't really have as much flavor as people generally think. Most people who claim to love Guinness haven't really had much experience with micro brews, and they do so because they think it is what cool people do. It is by far the most over-rated drink there is.


Samuel Adams Boston Lager

The basic Sam Adams brew is not that good. Really. Think about it. It isn't that flavorful. It seems to be just what it is: a macro brew masquerading as a micro brew. It suffers from the same things most macro brews suffer from: limited taste, bland overtones, and watery consistency. It sucks.

There are obviously many more beers that could make both my favorite and shitty list. We'll leave it as it is for now. Now go grab your favorite beer and drink that fucker.