I have brewed beer for several years, been AG for most of it. My best beers that folks know me for is a Vanilla Porter, Honey Pale Ale and Black IPA. I make all kinds, but have perfected these to a T. My favorite craft brewer is Three Floyds, then Stone, Founders and Sierra Nevada. Cheers!
It's one of those things I have wanted to try, but never got around to doing. Very nice craft brewer picks. Those are some of my favorites, too. But I'd also have to include some of the breweries from my neck of the woods, like Southern Tier and Ommegang. I would also definitely add Ballast Point, Anderson Valley and Firestone Walker to the list. Black IPAs seem to have really taken off over the last couple beers. Lately I have also noticed that table beers are becoming popular. Table beers are like session beers but with lower ABV and a very mild taste and smooth body. They seem to be modeled after some of the British bitters.
I used to home brew a lot, but I gained 50 pounds. I was drinking 5 gallons every couple weeks. I used to make a dopple bock with 21 pounds of malt in a five gallon patch. It was better than Celebrator. It tested out at 9% My favorite hop is Fuggle. Lagering is the way to go, but you need at least two extra refrigerators.
Pretty much anything they put out is at least worth a try. Some of the newer ones I've had have been kind of hit or miss, but you can't go wrong with their flagship beers like Hennepin, which is perhaps the best beer to start with. It's a Belgian-style farmhouse ale/saison -- a very good beer for summer. It has a crisp effervescence and a somewhat tart flavor with some banana and clove notes. If you're looking for something a bit heavier, they also make an excellent Belgian quadrupel blended with cherry lambic, which is called Three Philosophers (very high ABV on this one). They also have a whole bunch of newer releases I haven't tried yet. Basically Ommegang specializes in well-crafted Belgian-style ales. They're easily the best Belgian brewery outside of Belgium. Plus their beers are usually a lot fresher than the stuff that has been imported and likely sitting on the shelves for longer periods. Even the brewery, which is in Cooperstown, is modeled after an old Belgian farmhouse and sits right in the middle of some beautiful farmland. I took a tour of it in 2009.
2xIPA from Southern Teir is one of my wifes favorite IPA's. Their Old Man Winter is a good example of a Winter Ale. And who is a craft beer fan and doesn't know about Ommegang Belgian Offerings.
My mom brews mead and cider at home. I've been thinking about giving it a try myself with cider. I know nothing about brewing beer though.
Three Floyds is super nano. I looked it up. I gotta say that, I do like a lot of the breweries mentioned, but you gotta look local. I started with Stone, but then I started trying locals, and compared them... and sometimes you will find something better than the top rated, especially IPAs,... the availability of hops is everywhere now... so the deciding factor is freshness. Typically drank within a month is a good rule.
I live about 75 miles from Three Floyds, their beers are widely available here. Been to the brew twice. No one, no one makes IPA's like 3F. Zombie Dust is just the most amazing beer in the world.
