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Your Favorite Beer, Ale and Hamburgers

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There are other threads here on NJGF about what everyone is drinking these days, but I thought it would be interesting to start a new thread that just focuses on beer, ale and a really good hamburger as part of the meal.  I have some favorites and I bet many of you do as well....

In our stateside travels, my wife and I really enjoy exploring and tasting the local craft and micro brews that are becoming more abundant and available all around the USA.  As a rule, I prefer the freshness of draft beer over the same beer that is available in a bottle or can.  Yet, as far as consistent bottled/canned beer I do have some favorites.  I have done a fair amount of traveling in my life and after having tried and have enjoyed draft beer and ale all around the USA, Germany, England, Ireland, Belgium, France, Poland, Hungry, the Czech Republic, Holland, the Scandinavian countries, Australia, I have developed some favorites.

My favorites tend to center on the various beers and ales from Belgium.  While technically there are no “styles” of Belgian beer, there are some common, but not universal, characteristics and features, including a spicy phenol aroma, fruity esters and an effervescence from bottle-conditioning/re-fermentation.  I also appreciate that Belgians have a different style of glass for each type of beer.  The ones I like the best are those produced by Trappist Westvleteren, St. Bernardus Abt, Oude, Palm, Chimay, Houblon Chouffe, La Chouffe, Westmalle Trappist Tripel, Saison Dupont, Duvel and Brouwerij Huyge.

My usual “go to” Belgian ale in the winter months is Duvel Belgian Golden Ale (8.5% ABV).  I like it because it combines the lightness and effervescence of a Pilsner with the complexity and sheer alcoholic oomph of a Tripel. It is made from a combination of Pilsner malts, Bohemian hops and a unique yeast strain, using a very specific and complex brewing and refermentation process that takes over 90 days to create.  It results in a strong golden ale with an aromatic scent and intense taste.  Pouring it from its bottle produces a dense head and lively, almost citrus bouquet.  It has a slightly peppery and floral scent and a zesty fizz from a high CO2 content.  Finally, the taste is wonderfully balanced and smooth, with a slightly spicy flavor

In the warmer months, I enjoy the Delirium Tremens (8.5% ABV) from the relatively young Belgian brewery Brouwerij Huyghe.  Its white bottle makes it stand out from most other bottle beers and ales.  It is a top-fermented, heavy pale blond beer of the tripel type that uses 3 different types of yeast, pale malt, Styrian Golding and Saaz hops and it re-ferments in the bottle giving it a slightly cloudy haze. On the bottle’s label are pink elephants, crocodiles and dragons, depicting the various stages of inebriation you may go through after a few glasses.  The full body taste has distinct malty aroma and a slight but refreshing fruity touch of orange zest, green apple and apricot and a long finish of dry bitters.

There are hundreds of excellent hamburgers in our country and I will admit that taste is subjective and therefore, fast-food McDonald's, Arby's, White Castle, etc. hamburgers have a place somewhere, (I am being nice…), in that pantheon of rankings.  So my question to all of you is what restaurant hamburger(s) have you had that made a lasting impression on you?

FWIW, probably the best hamburger I have had in a restaurant is at Raoul’s at 180 Prince St. in Manhattan. It is called Raoul's Burger au Poivre and consists of a pepper-crusted La Frieda brisket burger patty that is a blend of whole, heavily marbled brisket, chuck and shoulder made from American Black Angus Beef.  To this, they add thinly sliced red onions, triple-cream Saint-André cheese, and some peppery cornichons, and dressed watercress that gives the entire combination a nice zing, all sitting between a delicate and chewy challah bun. This burger also comes with triple-crème cheese fries and has a sidecar of cream-and-cognac au poivre sauce served on the side as a dipping sauce.

So what are your favorite beers, ales and hamburgers, (other than what you may make yourself....)?

AVB-AMG

 

Duvel Belgian Golden Ale.jpg

Delirium Tremens Blonde Belgian Beer.jpg

Raoul's Burger au Poivre.jpg

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My god that burger looks delicious! :drinks:

Steak places tend to have the best burgers IMO.  And I'm going to "throw down" here and boldly say that a burger without cheese... is just sad, forlorn, naked and an affront to all that is good and right and decent in the world!

At a modest price point, I think Arthur's in Morris Plains is good for burgers. At a higher price point, the burger at Stage Left in New Brunswick is delish.  And thought I'm usually more of a cocktail drinker myself, I admit beer does go particularly nicely with a burger. I'll typically go with something on draft (usually Bass ale) - but, if they have it, I'll get a bottle of Pilsner Urquell. 

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I’m not really a beer drinker (unless I’m on a beach in Mexico), so I’ll stay out of that end of the discussion. 

Besides the burgers I make at home, I REALLY like Louis Lunch in New Haven, Ct. Supposedly, they are the ‘inventors’ of the hamburger. I don’t know for sure if that’s true, but I DO know they make a mighty fine burger. I stop there every single time I go to New Haven on business. It’s a burger worth waiting in line for....

Check them out here: http://louislunch.com/

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Good everyday beer:    Yuengling

Enjoyable, sipping beer: McEwans -- it's Guiness without the bite

Missed-haven't seen in awhile:  Anchor Steam

Wouldn't drink if it were free:  Budweiser, Hudepohl

 

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I made us Pat La Frieda's cheeseburgers last night for din-din  :)   My little Webber charcoal grill does the trick.  Last night I cooked them naked, but sometimes I'll shake-on some Montreal steak seasoning on ONE side (don't need to block the La Frieda taste after-all), then schmere on some well-done fried onions in butter, and add a ripe slice of Jersey beefsteak tomato & a dab or so of ketchup.  A truly tasty masticating epicurean delight :)  WARNING:  Don't wear a long-sleeve shirt that you like, cause the flavor will run down yer arms!

For beers, it depends what I'm doing & where:  Summer on a boat crabbin' & fishin' or sweatin' yer balls off doin' outside work is a perfect time for ice cold Rolling Rock nips brewed from 100% metro-Philly piss-water (Latrobe, PA) (sorry it's 90* out & I'm dreamin' in my head). 

If I'm "feet-dry" I like Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel in 1/2 L bottles (when Wegman's has it).  The drinkability of this beer is amazin'!  Many years ago my son & I had at least 18 1/2 Litre bottles between us & slept it off in a parking-lot :)

I like keeping Yuengling lager as my "everyday beer", and also enjoy Yuengling Porter.  I tend to shy-away from all of the "Hipster" brews with WAY too much "hoppy-ness" that covers/masks the real beer taste.  In other words, I don't like to drink GRASS, lol!

Back to "Cheeburga's":  Local hole-in-the-wall Mom & Pop Gin Mill makes the best burgers in town, right behind the bar on a grill.  They get their burgers custom-ground from a local "purveyor" that drives a refrigerated straight job right to their door.

Image result for weihenstephaner hefe weissbier

 

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The absolute best burgers I ever had were at a strip club on the northern end of the Jersey shore.  When I worked at Bell Labs in Holmdel, the guys in our department used to go there once a month on Fridays for, uhh  lunch.  Best 8 oz California cheeseburger ever.

Beer...fuggedaboudit, it's Yuengling or nothing

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3 minutes ago, Scorpio64 said:

The absolute best burgers I ever had were at a strip club on the northern end of the Jersey shore.  When I worked at Bell Labs in Holmdel, the guys in our department used to go there once a month on Fridays for, uhh  lunch.  Best 8 oz California cheeseburger ever.

Beer...fuggedaboudit, it's Yuengling or nothing

^^^HOLDIN' OUT ON ME FOR LUNCH!  I'LL REMEMBER YOU. lol!

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Just now, Smokin .50 said:

^^^HOLDIN' OUT ON ME FOR LUNCH!  I'LL REMEMBER YOU. lol!

Chillax brother.  The Body Shop went out of business years ago.  It was a sad sad day for California burgers.  I have not had one as good since.

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Everyday beer: Yuengling or Alexander Keiths

Feeling fancy: Sam's Cold Snap

Local microbrewery: Garden State Beer Company: Blue Jersey American Wheat

Hamburger: Surprisingly, Red Robin. I don't get burgers often but theirs is spiced nicely.

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27 minutes ago, Scorpio64 said:

Chillax brother.  The Body Shop went out of business years ago.  It was a sad sad day for California burgers.  I have not had one as good since.

THE HORROR, THE HORROR, lol!  I could add Soooooooooooooooo much more, but I'm gonna not type it here.

A nice, pink, juicy....................CHEESEBURGER!  With fries & pickles & 'slaw!  YUM!

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3 hours ago, Scorpio64 said:

Chillax brother.  The Body Shop went out of business years ago.  It was a sad sad day for California burgers.  I have not had one as good since.

The Body shop was a fine establishment.:D I dated a girl I met there back in the late 80's for a few months. She was definitely crazy :wacko: but man was she fun.

As for burgers and beer if you are in the area try the Toms River Ale House. Good burgers and a nice selection of local micro brewery beers. I think they have about 40 something beers on tap.

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A homemade burger with fresh chop meat mixed with peter luger just cant be beat. On the restaurant front Outback steakhouse makes the best burgers that ive had since i been in NJ. The old homestead steakhouse in NYC during lunchtime made a kobe beef burger that was outrageous. Been a while since ive been there it was expensive $40 but worth it. never had anything like that since.

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These days i dont venture too much off the beer path, i've grown very fond of most of the Sam Adams offerings, my everyday beer is the plain ole lager. But...i will share that back in the mid 80's i spent some time in Europe and it was beer heaven, probly had several hundred different pours, back when i could drink like a fish. And as a momento i collected the coasters, still have about a hundred or so, somewhere. Also have really large beautiful Delft vase from the factory in Amsterdam. Just thought I'd throw that in there...As for cheeseburgers-well, Jimmy Buffet says it all:p

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4 minutes ago, siderman said:

As for cheeseburgers-well, Jimmy Buffet says it all:p

I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and French fried potatoes. A big Kosher pickle and a cold draft beer. Good God Almighty, which way do I steer!!

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4 minutes ago, Displaced Texan said:

I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and French fried potatoes. A big Kosher pickle and a cold draft beer. Good God Almighty, which way do I steer!!

Everybody! Sing it-all together now......! :yahoo:

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Great choice on the beers but I prefer to order fine american Belgian style brew like Golden Monkey from Victory or almost anything from Ommegang.

The burger sounds tasty but it's well beyond my means.

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On 5/3/2018 at 3:23 PM, Displaced Texan said:

Besides the burgers I make at home, I REALLY like Louis Lunch in New Haven, Ct. Supposedly, they are the ‘inventors’ of the hamburger. I don’t know for sure if that’s true, but I DO know they make a mighty fine burger. I stop there every single time I go to New Haven on business. It’s a burger worth waiting in line for....

Check them out here: http://louislunch.com/

@Displaced Texan:

Back when I was in school, Louis' Lunch, (which we just referred to as Louies Lunch), was only open for lunch M-F.  It claimed to have invented the hamburger, which is rather hard to prove...  But it was fun to see their unique approach, putting their beef patties into their custom metal press/holder and inserting it into their gas-fired oven so that the patties was vertical so the grease drippings did not linger on the beef.  Also, they serve the hamburgers on toast, not buns and they have always frowned on the use of any form of bottle ketchup and therefore did not provide any.  The only condiments they offered were sliced tomatoes, onions and American cheese.

AVB-AMG

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I always thought that little burger jig they use was pretty cool. Love the simplicity of the burger they serve. No condiments...but none are needed!! A little cheese, grilled onion, and a tomato slice between 2 slices of white bread, and it’s perfect the way it is. 

The flavor of the beef they use is outstanding. 

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