The unofficial all things BEER thread!

[mainbutter]

Frankly the best beer I've ever had isn't sold by the bottle, isn't carried by liquor stores, isn't available online, and isn't shipped. You've gotta go to the source.

In Anchorage, AK, there is a restaurant called "The Moose's Tooth" (named after some peak on Mt. McKinley I believe). Their main food is pizza, and some of the best pizza in the world. They ALSO are a microbrewery, and brew all their own beers that they serve. You can buy by the glass, pint, or fill up a growler to take home.

By far my favorite that they brew is a DARK stout called Pipeline Stout. It's literally as black as crude oil, as you might expect from the name.

For anyone who is planning a vacation to Alaska and wants to have a fun dinner to top off the trip: Forget Simon and Seafort's*. Forget the Double Musky*. Hit up the Moose's Tooth for a "Santa's Little Helper" pizza and try out every beer on the menu.. and make sure to take a cab

Also be prepared to wait an hour or more for a table during peak eating hours, as the Moose's Tooth doesn't take reservations. It's totally worth it, but when I eat there I try to hit it up around 3PM on a weekday and I USUALLY don't have to wait for a table.. but not always because it is THAT GOOD.

*But if you can hit these restaurants up as well, DO IT. They are real award winners, they just don't fit into the "beer" aspect of this thread.

[xdeus]

Frankly the best beer I've ever had isn't sold by the bottle, isn't carried by liquor stores, isn't available online, and isn't shipped. You've gotta go to the source.

Exactly, that's why I brew my own. Right now I have a coffee stout (no coffee added, just coffee malt but it still has a nice coffee flavor) and a smoked ale on tap. I also have a Gulden Draak clone in the primary that I will soon rack to a keg. It should be ready to drink in a year and at its prime in 2 to 3 years. And next week I will be brewing a nice double IPA.

There's nothing wrong with mass-produced American lagers if that's your thing, but to me they taste like corn and beer flavored water. I think people in this country are finally waking up to the diversity and quality of crafted beers. It's no longer a cheap drink to get you drunk and quench your thirst, but something to be savored and enjoyed like a good wine. In the 1980s there were only 8 craft breweries in the United States. Today there are over 1,600... more than any other time in history. This is the golden age for beer lovers.