# Beer me: Grand Canyon



## Nessy (May 25, 2009)

Dale's Pale by the 12 pack. Goes well with frosted mini wheats.


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## strife (Oct 2, 2010)

27 beer choices for 25 days. Hmmm . . . ditch two of the light beers and you are good to go!


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## wildh2onriver (Jul 21, 2009)

Amstel Light comes in cans. I like Modelo Especial in warm weather. Dales is a good suggestion as well as their other beers, though more expensive, there is much more alcohol by content, so worth it in weight savings and bang for the buck.


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## CO.rafter (Oct 10, 2010)

I'm guessing your gonna drink more than 4 a day...


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## raftus (Jul 20, 2005)

Corona cans seem thinner and more prone to breakage. Took some on the Middle Fork last spring and had a very bad loss rate. 

Think about the season as well - summer is really hot in the canyon even at night. Personally I tend to like lighter beer and white wine in the heat. Reds and fuller beer in coolers temps. 

4 beers a day is conservative. Might be perfect for you, but remember you can't buy more in the canyon and beer is a great bartering item. I'd plan for 12 drinks a day, it's always better to end with with some leftover beer/alcohol at the end than to run out.


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## mountainjah (Jun 21, 2010)

Cold Tecate with some limes go down real nice. Compromise on a sixer a day and that will still leave (a lightweight) some trade bait. But drag those tecates and let the river chill them down...the limes will work well with tequila too!


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## Kyle K (Dec 17, 2008)

Cookie,

Call the folks at Cork 'n Bottle and they'll tell you what beers come in what kind of pack. They'll also tell you what they have or don't have in stock. Can't speak for all the employees there but everyone I've dealt with has been helpful. 

Cork 'n Bottle 928 774 8502

They also have a couple of different brands of boxed wines. Ask them and they'll tell you which is better. Surprisingly they told me the least expensive was the best the last time I bought from them. Can't remember what it was now though. 

Have fun on your trip!


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## Swobo (Feb 24, 2011)

You will most definitely want more than 4 beers per day. At the very least, double your beer figures to account for losses (they will happen), sharing (always happens), trading, increased tolerance over the course of the trip, and that you really have nothing else to do but float and drink ALL DAY. Cans are better than bottles for weight and trash purposes. Cheap light beer in the heat of the day trumps thick, dark, or hoppy beer. You will want your beer to taste like water when it is 105 degrees.


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## glenn (May 13, 2009)

I am a huge beer nerd, but when it comes to all day session drinking warm weather and/or sun I will be reaching for lagers, pilsners, pale ales and possibly the right IPA. If the weather you get is cooling off at night, then a few heavier beers around the campfire might be what the doctor ordered. Honestly though, you are going to go through so many beers, best not to get too spendy. 

PBR, Modelo, Tecate etc.

If you get big cans you can cut the number of trips to the cooler.


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## wildh2onriver (Jul 21, 2009)

or, you could bring 4 cases (instead of 8 cases: 12x16 = 192) of high alcohol content beer (Dales) with roughly twice the potency than most beer, and save on weight and space.

Personally, I never drink more than a six pack in a day, especially when it's hot, as I get a headache when dehydrated. In the evening is when I'll have a cocktail or two. Of course everyone is different.



raftus said:


> Corona cans seem thinner and more prone to breakage. Took some on the Middle Fork last spring and had a very bad loss rate.
> 
> Think about the season as well - summer is really hot in the canyon even at night. Personally I tend to like lighter beer and white wine in the heat. Reds and fuller beer in coolers temps.
> 
> 4 beers a day is conservative. Might be perfect for you, but remember you can't buy more in the canyon and beer is a great bartering item. I'd plan for 12 drinks a day, it's always better to end with with some leftover beer/alcohol at the end than to run out.


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## kayaker (Oct 29, 2003)

Cookie, 
One really important mention: Do NOT drag your beers in the river while making miles, the Grand will beat them into useless metal chards... Bring one good drag bag with well-sewn handles, use some light cordage and a dedicated biner for this task. Beers take 5 to 7 minutes to cool from any temp to really nice cold in the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. 
Without heeding this advice you could loose all your beers. (Its been done before, and I've scored loads of beer in eddies in the canyon to prove this). 
And if you've got the room, I'd suggest bringing a skantily-clad Swedish gal to serve your cold beers to ya.


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## cmike1 (Sep 10, 2006)

I guess I've never understood the whole "I gotta get shitfaced every day on the river" mentality. I'd ask myself, "will being in a constant state of intoxication benefit my trip?" No doubt a cold beer can taste good at times, but really, do you need to drink more than a six pack a day? I been on a couple booze free trips and not only is your load lighter, but you find you can actually enjoy your surroundings and other people just fine without a buzz on.

YMMV of course.


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## BmfnL (May 23, 2009)

Sober rafting. Might try that some day. Probably not.

Take a mix down there. A drag bag will work and keep you out of the cooler, but it has to be small - otherwise it's a drag.


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## Bayou (Jan 31, 2011)

mountainjah said:


> Cold Tecate with some limes go down real nice. Compromise on a sixer a day and that will still leave (a lightweight) some trade bait. But drag those tecates and let the river chill them down...the limes will work well with tequila too!



I know Bud Light Lime isn't on your list, but I always bring a lot of it. The first day people typically make fun of me, then they try one in the summer sun and then they are hooked. Easily the most refreshing beer when cold. Bud Light Lime also removes from the equation buying, packing, storing, and cutting limes on the river to serve with your Tecate.


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## wildh2onriver (Jul 21, 2009)

Reminds me of a Selway trip at 5.5 ft. where 2 guys showed up with 8-30 packs of Keystone. Beer before breakfast, 2 more at breakfast, and so forth. Short story long, they ran out of beer on day 4 and were bumming after that. I never once saw them drink water--just watery beer...

Liver transplant candidates? Maybe.




cmike1 said:


> I guess I've never understood the whole "I gotta get shitfaced every day on the river" mentality. I'd ask myself, "will being in a constant state of intoxication benefit my trip?" No doubt a cold beer can taste good at times, but really, do you need to drink more than a six pack a day? I been on a couple booze free trips and not only is your load lighter, but you find you can actually enjoy your surroundings and other people just fine without a buzz on.
> 
> YMMV of course.


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## glenn (May 13, 2009)

Bayou said:


> I know Bud Light Lime isn't on your list, but I always bring a lot of it. The first day people typically make fun of me, then they try one in the summer sun and then they are hooked. Easily the most refreshing beer when cold. Bud Light Lime also removes from the equation buying, packing, storing, and cutting limes on the river to serve with your Tecate.


Using bottled lime or preferably key lime juice takes that out of the equation also. You get to decide how much lime you want in your beer, and you aren't stuck drinking 1 type of beer all trip. 

The bullscit scale of lime upgrades goes something like this:

PBR + lime = Tecate
Tecate + lime = Modelo
Modelo + lime = Something better than Modelo, but still not a very tasty beer.


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## Bayou (Jan 31, 2011)

I guess I shouldn't be surprised a Glenn just dropped some knowledge on me... for I, too, am a Glenn. Thanks for the advice.


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## tmaggert (Aug 18, 2008)

Well I might be in the minority here but last year for a late season MFS trip we planned on a 12pk per person per day and some hard alcohol, it was the perfect amount of beer. Originally we planned on 18/person/day but had to save weight.

No one was ever hammered during the day probably 1¼ beers per hour and the rest was consumed with dinner and at the fire. Given most of us were guides who debriefed (drinking sin beer after trips) everyday. Ya we probably should start working on getting our names on the transplant list.

We had 900+ PBR and High Life cans plus a few bottles (~7 liters) of hard alcohol, this did not include rigging and de-rigging days, for 13 people during the trip. All the beer was drank and we had about 2 liters of hard left. We had our shuttle driver stop at one point so we could pick up beer for the ride back.

There are some great canned beers you left off the list that Cork 'N Bottle might be able to special order for you:

New Belgium (Fort Collins, CO):
•Fat Tire
•Sunshine

Upslope (Boulder, CO):
•Brown
•IPA
•Pale

Spoetzl (Shiner, TX):
•Shiner Bock

Oscar Blues (Lyons, TX)
•Pale
•Old Chub
•G'Knight Imperial Red
etc.


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## mommydevo (Jun 5, 2009)

10 beers per person per day. I don't drink that much beer either but with my boyfriend around it somehow always works out. I second the BL lime suggestion, since I'm usually the one making fun of them at first and then bumming them later. It's like a sports drink really.


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## gwheyduke (Jul 3, 2008)

I would second the suggestion of Upslope pale ale. Higher alcohol content, not too light, but still drinkable.


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## yojimbo (Oct 12, 2003)

Oscar Blues (Lyons, TX)
•

bzzzz. Lyons, CO, please! Whatever they make - seriously good stuff. Sippin a Gubna right now. Way good. Might not be my first choice for GC hydration. A bunch of Dales in the mix would be good tho. Funny, all the Swiss on our trip had Coors and crap and it was the first year Fatties came in a can....


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## tmaggert (Aug 18, 2008)

yojimbo said:


> Oscar Blues (Lyons, TX)
> bzzzz. Lyons, CO, please! …


Sorry god damn copy and paste


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## slamkal (Apr 8, 2009)

this might sound blasphemous but thats an awful lot of weight to carry. I've never done the grand but usually like to have a light beer over lunch, a dark beer right pulling off the river, and then stick with jungle juice as its a lot less weight to carry everclear than it is to carry beer.

then again if someone else has the beer on their boat I usually do a beer an hour to try and keep up with the group and then we switch to jungle juice out of necessity on day 3 ...


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## topbud (Apr 9, 2010)

dont forget to check out McGaws smoke and beer shop on Butler and San Fran in Flagstaff. there is a huge canned selection. Many different beers from the cork and Bottle.


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## raymo (Aug 10, 2008)

Cookie said:


> I'm headed down the Grand Canyon in a month for the first time (25 day trip). I'm not sure how much or what beer to order. Being a chick, and a lightweight at that, my guess is that I'd drink about four beers a day, plus plenty of red wine at night. PBR is my cheap beer of choice, so I think I'll order a couple cases of that, but life is too short to drink cheap beer all the time. I'm a big fan of dark beers: brown ales, black ales, porters, and stouts. Not a fan of IPA's.
> 
> Here's a list of the beer we have to choose from (Cork 'N Bottle, Flagstaff):
> Bud
> ...


After a few days go by, it always comes down to, if you can't be with the beer you love, love the beer you'er with.


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## BmfnL (May 23, 2009)

Third props on the Bud Light lime. Ignore the ridicule. Also reminds me of the Chelada product Bud makes. It's clamato and beer in a good ratio. Reach for those when the stomach is hungry and there is no time to make a proper snack. A meal in a can.


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## craporadon (Feb 27, 2006)

8 Beers / Person / Day is the rule on the Grand Canyon. You don't need high alcohol content b/c you are not trying to get drunk off the beer. You are just having a delicious beer.


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## Nessy (May 25, 2009)

craporadon said:


> 8 Beers / Person / Day is the rule on the Grand Canyon. You don't need high alcohol content b/c you are not trying to get drunk off the beer. You are just having a delicious beer.


Assuming 15 people for 25 days...8 beers/person*25*15=3000. One beer = .78 pounds. 3000*.78=2340pounds. One metric ton = 2204 pounds.

That's a ton of delicious beer.


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## twmartin (Apr 3, 2007)

Everyone has missed that Fat Tire and Sunsine Wheat are now available in cans from New Belgium Brewery.

I find Fat Tire to be a wee heavy for a hot day on the water (I entrirely agree with SWOBO), but a Sunshine slides down the back of the throat very nicely during the day and Fat Tires do the same in camp.

You don't specify that all of the 27 beers come in cans. I woud strongly suggest that you consider cans only as they are generally easier to deal with empty and you'll never have to deal with broken glass.

I would be surprised if Fat Tire & Sunshine cans are not available in Jackson.

Prior to Fat Tire and Sunshine I floated almost entirely with Corona and Tecate.

Good luck


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## BmfnL (May 23, 2009)

Seriously, Cookie - you're not shopping for bottled beer, are you? Ranger Lady at Lee's Ferry will just take one look at that and start backing her pickup over to your gear pile.


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## melcol (Jul 5, 2004)

Just got off the canyon and just recommend you take more then less. Last year we ran out and this year we had plenty! Dark beers are better for night as it can get pretty toasty during the day. We had over 100 degrees this past week. Amazing trip you are going to love it!


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## raftus (Jul 20, 2005)

mommydevo said:


> 10 beers per person per day. I don't drink that much beer either but with my boyfriend around it somehow always works out. I second the BL lime suggestion, since I'm usually the one making fun of them at first and then bumming them later. It's like a sports drink really.


"It's like a sports drink really." <- You just made my day.  

Speaking of sports drinks - Gatorade and vodka (mix and match flavors) - really is a sports drink with a kick. And since you can get powdered Gatorade you can save on weight - Glacier freeze and blueberry vodka is usually well received. On the powdered front you can also buy powdered margarita mix then just add tequila, triple sec and water - shake it up in your Nalgene and you get Nalgeritas.


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## carvedog (May 11, 2005)

melcol said:


> We had over 100 degrees this past week. Amazing trip you are going to love it!


100 for realz last week???? Holy crap. I have friends in the middle canyon right now. They will either be dying from the heat or loving it.

Back to beer:
A Guiness or Boddingtons is a perfect transitional beverage from coffee to beer during rigging in the morning. 

Bring more than 4 a day. 8-10 minimum.

Other than for rigging up and for before launching, do not take glass. 
I had some tasty Fat Cat Lager in a can recently.

Get some other feedback here:
Pale Lager - Ratings - Pictures - Information - RateBeer.com

If you aren't a member you only see the top 25 in each category, but you can search any beer you haven't tasted for info in the search box.


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## MountainMedic (Apr 24, 2010)

1 oz beer per lb of body weight, per person/per day.
Its science.


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## craporadon (Feb 27, 2006)

Nessy said:


> Assuming 15 people for 25 days...8 beers/person*25*15=3000. One beer = .78 pounds. 3000*.78=2340pounds. One metric ton = 2204 pounds.
> 
> That's a ton of delicious beer.



Yeah, Thank God there's no portages.


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## surfnh (Mar 22, 2011)

I got beers from the Cork n Bottle in June for a 16day GC trip. I could have bought beer anywhere but I was in search of the good selection. I waited to get it the morning of Rig Day which was almost a disaster. We were planning to leave before Cork N Bottle opened. I called and luckily the owner was there packing for other trips and told me to come by even though he wasn't opening for an hour. I have nothing but good things to say about them. I brought 4 cases of beer, 2 PBR, 1 Fat Tire and 1 Big Sky. I drank the PBR's early in the day as not to too wasted early on and eased into the others the closer I got to camp. I also brought 2 bottles of Rum. The only thing I wish I brought was a bottle of Tequila for "Tequila Beach"


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## RiverCowboy (Mar 14, 2011)

Synopsis: all you need to do is buy from New Belgium.

Mid-day float beer is nothing but Sunshine Wheat. There is no other such refreshing and drinkable river beer available in the world.

I would strongly suggest Ranger IPA for breakfast, it's stout like cowboy coffee. Try a pre-trip trial, if you don't agree with it (because no matter what you say, it agrees with you!) NB has a Pale Ale with a little less bite. Opt for it.

You'll want something a little less summery for evenings on the sand: 1554.

Easy as it gets, you might even contact New Belgium and see if you can get a sponsorship. Handing someone a nice thick 1554 after swimming Lava might make you a celeb.


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## Chip (Apr 7, 2007)

Is there some reason you have to buy your beer there, rather than bringing it from home? 

For canned beers, my favorite is Speight's Old Dark (NZ). Fat Tire is also great. Old Chub Scotch Ale is nice. Dale's Pale is so massively hopped that it gags me on the second can. I'm also keen on Foster's, which can be had at a bargain. 

Having floated with people who drink beer at breakfast, I think more than a sixer a day is stupid. People who are shit-faced make bad decisions in rapids, and then you have to rescue them, etc. This isn't because I don't like drinking beer on river trips. I do. 

But I've had to deal with ugly consequences when people have had more than they could handle.


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## kayaker (Oct 29, 2003)

I totally agree!


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## freexbiker (Jul 18, 2005)

I think you should look no further. Snake River Brewery is now producing in cans...


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## Cookie (Mar 5, 2011)

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. 

The Liquor Store here in Jackson has fantastic sales... I just bought a case of PBR for $11 the other day. However, Pro and Cork 'N Bottle will get it all ready to go and since I'll probably be climbing in Utah for a couple weeks (!!! Danger !!! 3.2 !!!) before the river, maybe I'll just pay the extra $$ and get it through them. 

I think this will be my list: 2 cases PBR, 1 case Boddingtons, 1 case Newcastle, + whatever else I find in Jackson. And everything on that list is in cans. That's about 4/day of relatively high alcohol content beer (PBR is 5.5%, people!) + plenty of boxed wine.

As for the scantily clad Swedish girl that someone mentioned... that would be me.


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## Tduff (Mar 14, 2008)

Well good for you being a lightweight, i know i wish i still was, anywho GREAT call on the PBR in all honesty thats really all one needs in lifeto be happy (regarding Beer). But deffiantly give Tecate and Modelo a try, their always a good bet, as far as a great beer that costs some monies look into Special E.S.B from Ska Brewing in Durango CO, they have a few awesome micro brews that they can (which is a necessity for a river trip) also from Ska that's in a can; Modus Hoperandi, True Bolnde.

Give em a whirl Chica and enjoy your trip!!!!!

Be Fun and Have Safe


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## robks (Jan 27, 2009)

*Majestic Mobil*

If you wait till you get here, stop in Majestic Mobil (it's like the third thing on the right if you come into town on Milton Rd from I-17/I-40). they claim to have 800+ kinds of beer, but hands down the best selection of beer in a can, including most all breweries mentioned here. And PBR, too... 

Another good equation for amount to bring is 1 beer per river mile, actually almost works out, I allow 10 beers/day - both approach about the same total.


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## carvedog (May 11, 2005)

This....


Cookie said:


> As for the scantily clad Swedish girl that someone mentioned... that would be me.


Plus this.....


Cookie said:


> PBR is my cheap beer of choice, so I think I'll order a couple cases of that, but life is too short to drink cheap beer all the time. I'm a big fan of dark beers: brown ales, black ales, porters, and stouts. Not a fan of IPA's.


= I could be in love but I am already married.........
our beer tastes are very similar though. Not enough to build a relationship on but I hope you have someone who treats you very well. 

Bumping up this very important thread as I research canned lager alternatives to Bud. Wiser.


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## catwoman (Jun 22, 2009)

We have Beemer loving some NM canned beer.... Happy Camper IPA and Java Stout, both from the Santa Fe Brewing company


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## earthNRG (Oct 24, 2003)

I picked-up some Leinenkaugel's Summer Shandy (honey lemon weis) in cans last weekend that was enjoyed by all, mostly me since it was in my cooler. So far my favorite canned beer, but I've got a lot more to try.


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## Kendi (May 15, 2009)

Seriously? No one has yet to mention Blue Moon in a can? Bring a tiny bottle of Orange juice to add to the top and it's super yummy. It's my river beer of choice.


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## Avatard (Apr 29, 2011)

I only use blue moon in cases when you need to induce vomiting. 

If I wanted a fruity beer I'd bring wine


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## Ryanrugger (Jun 7, 2005)

New Castle mini kegs were nice down there. Have fun and run the meat!


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## yakkeranna (Jul 8, 2009)

We had myself and one chica friend on my raft for the grand, and our beer supply plan worked out perfect-

6 beers/person/day
1/6 of a handle of hard alc/day
2 bags of wine (= 3 majorly drunk wine days)

And then we got to the put-in and bought 3 cases of safety beer.

We had exactly a six-pack at the take out to share!
Take into account that some days you will be hiking/running bigger stuff/hungover and won't drink as much... but on the flipside some days you will be doing a layover/flatwater/partying after big rapids.


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## Joe W (Jul 30, 2008)

Leaving for the Rogue in a few hours with a cooler full of Anderson Valley IPA, Hazed and Infused, DAB (Pils), Dale's Pale, Caldera, Fort George Lager, and Rainier.


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## BLott (Mar 27, 2010)

catwoman said:


> We have Beemer loving some NM canned beer.... Happy Camper IPA and Java Stout, both from the Santa Fe Brewing company


Quoted for truth. Happy Camper IPA is one the finest canned beers around. that, and the Modus Hoperandi from Ska are my favorites.


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## catwoman (Jun 22, 2009)

Praise the canned microbrew revolution! We are blessed with so many great canned beers these days. As the Dales can says- PACK IT IN, PACK IT OUT. We definitely recycle too!


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## Kendi (May 15, 2009)

Avatard said:


> I only use blue moon in cases when you need to induce vomiting.
> 
> If I wanted a fruity beer I'd bring wine


 To each his own- I personally hate wine.....


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## kayaker (Oct 29, 2003)

frikkin hilarious you are!!!


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## Binge (Oct 14, 2003)

Nobody has mentioned kegs? The past 2 MFS trips we've done have been with kegs - we did 3 kegs on our trip last summer with a jockey box strapped to the frame. Environmentally friendly draft beer on the river, no trash, no cans, no hassle, just tasty ice-cold beer. (Most of the time, we'll de-rig and stow the system for the major rapids.)

We got lucky and got a Grand permit for this September and are planning on kegs again. Anybody have any experience with kegs on the Grand? Are the rangers cool if you roll up with 8 kegs and an on-river kegerator system complete with redundant backup parts and emergency taps?


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## Bayou (Jan 31, 2011)

The last beer rigging thread we had addressed kegs: 
http://www.mountainbuzz.com/forums/f15/beer-rigging-34668.html


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## Cookie (Mar 5, 2011)

Well, I'm back into civilization (Las Vegas = Hell, but Red Rocks = climbing heaven and a relief from the chaos). 25 days on the river, took out at Pierce Ferry yesterday.

Our boat had 3 people (lightweights) and 4 beers per person per day, and about 5 boxes of wine. We ended up with at least 2 cases of PBR left, and a case or so of good beer. I guess we discovered that we'd rather just row and look at the scenery and have energy for good hikes instead of being wasted by noon, like most of our other companions. I enjoy beer, but I'm glad I went for quality instead of quantity. Everyone likes to have a good time once in a while, but i got sick of dealing with drunk people by about day 15. (whisperings of mutiny, defecting, and the renaming of my duckie, the Red October). The canyon itself was enough entertainment for me and I'm hooked on this whole boating thing. So if anyone wants to take a scantily clad swedish gal on a river trip, I'm game! (Ok, i'm really Dutch but... close enough.)


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## carvedog (May 11, 2005)

Cookie said:


> So if anyone wants to take a scantily clad swedish gal on a river trip, I'm game! (Ok, i'm really Dutch but... close enough.)


Pictures or you are nothing but a wicked tease.


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## EZDingo (Mar 26, 2011)

I suggest going to Mia's next to Dara Thai on San Francisco St. They have a really awesome collection of good canned beers (Dale's, Ska, you name it). It's only a 30 second drive across the train tracks from Cork n' Bottle......worth the trip!!


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## OleMissBoater (May 22, 2007)

blutzski said:


> I'm a big fan of beers you can eat with a knife and fork. But when it gets hot on the river, Bud Light Lime. or if you have a ways to the next rapid, River-ritas (cheap beer mixed with limeaide and a shot of tequila) are the ticket. Won't drink the cheap stuff otherwise, but on a hot river trip, the heavy beers don't go down too smooth.


Skas Mexican Logger, ska true blonde, or Avery Joe's Pils... All Colorado craft beer that aren't made with bullshit adjunct properties (liquid hops, pasturazation) that anheiser busch makes. And none of which you have to knife or fork.


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## D-Money (May 3, 2006)

*Was just there and....*

it was HOT! 4 beers is what you'll drink before lunch. We took 45 cases 9 gallons of liquor and 3 boxes of wine for a 19 day trip for 8. We finished it all on the morning float to Diamond Creek. DON'T short on beer in the desert. Just my advise.


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