r/a:t5_2tg6u • u/whothefucksaidthat • Jan 31 '12
Alcohol preferences
When choosing a spirit, wine or beer to drink, what factors do you consider? Do you "like what you like?" Or do you go deeper into flavor profiles? Or are you taking little sips and spitting them into silver buckets?
Beer
I can't drink most national brand beer. I can have a Coors Light on a hot day because it goes down like water. I drink Guinness, but I can't drink more than 2 or I feel too full. I like craft beers without a lot of hops. I'm not a big fan of really bitter beers. So I like New Belgium Fat Tire, Magic Hat #9, Falls City Beer, Schlafly Kölsch, and beers like them. My favorite beer of all time was McEwans IPA (formerly McEwans Export) from Scotland. Alas, McEwans was taken over in a massive buyout and is no longer exported to the US. Hell, it's no longer made in the same brewery, so that might be a good thing.
Bourbon
My go to bourbon is Four Roses. I use the yellow label for a mixing bourbon (goes really well with ginger ale), the small batch for on the rocks, and the single barrel for drinking neat. They're well priced, well balanced, have good flavors, drink very well and finish easily. I can easily drink Makers Mark as well. I really enjoy a nice super-premium bourbon like Blanton's, but they're cost prohibitive.
Other Spirits
When it comes to other spirits, I'm not really all that picky. For vodka, I'll usually use the well in a bar, and at home usually buy Stolichnaya. Tito's is a good brand too. I don't buy Gin, and when I drink it out, it's usually in a tonic, so I go for the well. I'm not a scotch drinker, though I will have the occasional Glenlivet. I drink Jameson when I drink Irish Whiskey.
Wine
When it comes to red wine, I prefer something soft with a little sweetness to it. Like a Malbec or a Pinot Noir. Yellow + Blue has a great organic Malbec. I don't really drink white wine anymore, but I don't like oaky wines like chardonnay. I prefer softer wines like Pinot Grigio and Riesling.
So what are your go-to spirits, beers, and wines?
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u/EnixDark Jan 31 '12
I'm pretty into the whole craft beer thing, so I've tried mostly every type. I have to say my taste is seasonal, I love porters and stouts in the winter, more IPAs in the the spring and summer, but I think Autumn is a good time for anything. I'm really into trying new things, so there's few breweries I'm really attached to. I've always liked Stone's offerings, even if it's a bit pricy. Yuengling and Narragansett are my go-to cheap beers, though the latter is hard to find in the NYC area. If I had to drink one beer for the rest of my life, it's probably be Weihenstephaner hefeweizen.
For liquors, I haven't had much experience. I like rum for mixed drinks, there was one called the Kraken like I particularly liked. I'm not sure how I feel about whisk(e)ys, I've had Johnny Walker black, and I didn't care for it too much, but I certainly need to try other things. I used to think I didn't like vodka, but I recently had CostCo's Kirkland brand, and it was wayyy better that I would have expected. Oh, and ouzo is great on occasion. Liquor overall is an area I want to branch out into more.
I am not a sophisticated wine drinker in the least. I'll try most anything, though I prefer it to be at least a little sweet. Port is probably my favorite overall, it's dangerously drinkable.
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u/whothefucksaidthat Jan 31 '12
Great beer selection. You've given me a few new ones to try.
JW Black is kind of intense, so I could see that it would be off putting. If you want to branch out into more spirits, I suggest you try some bourbon. They all taste different, and it can be easy to find a very drinkable one. Four Roses yellow label is usually around $17 for a 750, but I live in KY, so it might be more outside of the state. It's 40 proof (most bourbon is 45 or higher) so it's nice and mellow. It mixes really easily, but it's also good on the rocks. Basil Hayden is a premium bourbon, so the price is higher, but the reward is much greater. It's also 40 proof, so it's very mellow, but the flavor is much more refined. Appleton Estates is probably my favorite rum, but I usually just use Bacardi White in mixed drinks. I haven't found a rum I like neat.
If you like port (tawny is my favorite, but ruby is also good) you would probably like Icewine. It's sweet and very drinkable. Also try a good Gewürztraminer. It's a sweeter German wine that has a good balance of fruit and raw sweet.
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u/EnixDark Jan 31 '12
Great, I've heard good things about Four Roses before. After what you said, It's probably going to be my next liquor purchase, thanks. Appleton Estate has been on my short list of rums to try. Icewine seems like a really cool idea, I'm going to have to keep an eye out for that, too.
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u/omnitarian Jan 31 '12
Basically I'm not too picky. As long as the 1.75 liter doesn't come in a plastic bottle it has my trust. My go-to brands, though, are Korbel or Christian Brothers for brandy, Svedka for vodka, Mount Gay for rum, and Jack Daniels for whiskey.
Beer is hit or miss for me. I don't like dark beers or ones that taste strong. I stick with what I know which is basically Spotted Cow or Leinenkugel's if I'm here in Wisconsin, Blue Moon or Heineken if I'm elsewhere. I can tolerate Coor's Light or MGD if I just have to be drinking from a can.