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gwlewis88

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I've been twice on Allure both pre and post Covid. I'm a craft beer fan and wasn't totally disappointed. The pub has a good selection of European and craft beer. Don't get me wrong at home in Mass. the convenience store is better stocked. Strangely you can't find Guinness on board, and the stouts tend to be German. I'm mainly drinking New England style IPA's and Royal tends to have the more traditional West Coast ones. Royal needs to upgrade their beer game and have a designate craft brew bar. Another issue is if you have a craft brew it will be in a can or bottle, almost zero craft brew on tap.  

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19 minutes ago, Jolly Ogre said:

Was it on tap, in bottles or cans?

I will not drink beer out of cans unless it is Fosters. Then it has to be the big can.

Typically only Newcastle and/or Heineken on tap.  Plus an apple ale sometimes. 

Some ships used to have one or two interesting beers on tap but they had a hard time keeping them going because they were in demand so they stopped. 

Carnival has the best beer choices.   

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I am all for a good craft beer.  Having said that, I don't go to restaurants expecting them to have craft beers.  Many restaurants have craft beers on tap, but this is not the norm, it is the exception. So, if I want a craft beer, I go to a bar that has craft beers.  If I want a craft beer with my food, I choose restaurants that offer craft beers.

When I am cruising, I am not cruising for the sake of satisfying my craft beer cravings.  So, if a ship has a couple of options, great!  If not, that's where the ports become more attractive.  It doesn't make or break a cruise for me though.

I don't recall whether Amber and Oak on the Ovation had craft beers. They had a good selection of beer though.

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36 minutes ago, PatsFanBrian said:

This has always one of my pet peeves.  If I want a chance at a decent beer, I need to go to the pub, and that can be spotty from sailing to sailing.  Even when the pub has something good, I don't want to spend all my time there.

Now Play Makers often has better choices over the pub, if that ship has a PM.  

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21 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

You drink beer out of a metal keg, but not out of a metal can?

Ok more specific, I don't like the taste of canned beer... keg beer has a different flavor to it. Beer on tap is poured into a frosted mug, I suppose if they were to pour it from the can into a frosted mug for me then I would try it.

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40 minutes ago, twangster said:

Typically only Newcastle and/or Heineken on tap.  Plus an apple ale sometimes. 

Some ships used to have one or two interesting beers on tap but they had a hard time keeping them going because they were in demand so they stopped. 

Carnival has the best beer choices.   

Carnival ?? The line that has the ships that catch on fire??? No thanks, I will stick with Royal!!

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43 minutes ago, CruisingNewb said:

I am all for a good craft beer.  Having said that, I don't go to restaurants expecting them to have craft beers.  Many restaurants have craft beers on tap, but this is not the norm, it is the exception. So, if I want a craft beer, I go to a bar that has craft beers.  If I want a craft beer with my food, I choose restaurants that offer craft beers.

 

I find most of the restaurants in this area (Eastern MA) offer local craft beers.  There are still a couple of holdouts, but there are enough local breweries to more than fulfill the needs of the local eateries.

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16 minutes ago, Jolly Ogre said:

Ok more specific, I don't like the taste of canned beer... keg beer has a different flavor to it. Beer on tap is poured into a frosted mug, I suppose if they were to pour it from the can into a frosted mug for me then I would try it.

Interesting, I don't think I've ever had a draft beer poured into a frosted mug at any establishment including every tap room I've ever gone to.  I can't imagine how a place could keep up with cleaning mugs and then have enough time to get a mug frosted.  Better if it is frosted, just a matter of logistics.

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18 minutes ago, PatsFanBrian said:

Interesting, I don't think I've ever had a draft beer poured into a frosted mug at any establishment including every tap room I've ever gone to.  I can't imagine how a place could keep up with cleaning mugs and then have enough time to get a mug frosted.  Better if it is frosted, just a matter of logistics.

Oh no that is just terrible.

Having a beer poured into a frosted mug is standard at our American Legion Post 110.

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Definitely temper your expectations WAY down.  I'm a huge craft drinker (and home brewer) as well and the most "craft" you'll see might be a stone ipa or terrapin in the English pub and those are usually gone after a couple days.  Even the few German options like Paulaner usually run out before the end and you're left with just the standard macros.

I definitely always plan to have zero beer on a cruise by having fruity or mixed drinks I don't normally have or even try at home.  Any decent beers I can find are just a bonus.

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24 minutes ago, PatsFanBrian said:

Interesting, I don't think I've ever had a draft beer poured into a frosted mug at any establishment including every tap room I've ever gone to.  I can't imagine how a place could keep up with cleaning mugs and then have enough time to get a mug frosted.  Better if it is frosted, just a matter of logistics.

Say what??? Frosted mugs are the way to go!

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55 minutes ago, Jolly Ogre said:

Oh no that is just terrible.

Having a beer poured into a frosted mug is standard at our American Legion Post 110.

 

51 minutes ago, CruisingNewb said:

Say what??? Frosted mugs are the way to go!

 

Yes, frosted is usually the way to go.  But I'd say an American Legion has the luxury of frosting mugs as compared to a busy restaurant, pub or tap room.  Those type of establishments can sometimes barely keep up with washing dinnerware, never mind the time and space required to put them in a freezer.

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I've been on 6 cruises (2 Freedom, 2 Oasis, 2 Harmony) and the best beer I've ever seen was La Fin du Monde.  I also prefer

my beer from the tap, but never, ever, ever in a frosted mug.  

Before Covid, when we had an Allure cruise (missed the $18/day DBP 😞 ) scheduled, RC announced that they were collabing

with Funky Buddha for a special Coco Cay beer, but I'm not sure it ever got off the ground.  I love some FB.

I do agree with the poster that they should open a craft beer bar (how about ditch the waste of space called the Bionic Bar?).

 

Since the beer choices basically suck, and I get the DBP, it's all liquor, all week for me.

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1 hour ago, Floski said:

I do agree with the poster that they should open a craft beer bar (how about ditch the waste of space called the Bionic Bar?).

I think this is a great idea as well and I believe it would be quite popular. We sailed Norwegian Escape a few years back. They have "The District Brewhouse" on board and tons of canned/ bottled beer options with another 20+ on tap. That place stayed packed.  I have never seen the Bionic Bar crowded on any RC ship. That space would absolutely be more appealing as a taproom.

As a side note, I have had MDR waiters offer to go over to the pub to get me an IPA at dinner. 😍

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46 minutes ago, Mike.s said:

Sailing on Anthem from the UK a number of the bars stocked some british beers, London Pride and a couple of others, made a pleasant change for the standard canned beers they normally offer.

Sailing on Anthem from Bayonne at Christmas last year, the pub seemed to have a "secret" menu of some leftover British beers from the summer sailings.  I only figured it out towards the end of the trip, even though I had asked what beers were available.  I guess they didn't think Americans would be interested.

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On 8/10/2022 at 11:59 AM, twangster said:

Typically only Newcastle and/or Heineken on tap.  Plus an apple ale sometimes. 

Some ships used to have one or two interesting beers on tap but they had a hard time keeping them going because they were in demand so they stopped. 

Carnival has the best beer choices.   

The Anthem at least had Stella on tap in February in the Pub.

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