Craft Beers

Have they established a new venue for craft beers on the Solstice Class, or just no more craft beers with the re-purposing of Michaels

We were recently on Solstice and found it quite difficult to source beers other than your regular Heineken / Coronas etc.

There were a few premium / craft ones at the bar just outside Muranos however when we asked, they were out of stock even though they were on the menu.

The passport bar on deck 3 had some different beer varieties.

A few people had said craft beers were available in Cellarmasters but this is definitely not the case. Cellarmasters is wine only :)

There was a large selection of craft beers in Cellar Masters on Silhouette in March.

There was a large selection of craft beers in Cellar Masters on Silhouette in March.

Good.

Biggest problem with 'craft' beers is cruise line choosing some that will get purchased in a reasonable timeframe and not sit in refrigerator for months. IPA's should be a safe bet for cruise lines as that seems to be a growing style.

I wish they would have some draft craft beers, but I am a dreamer. :)

Good.

 

Biggest problem with 'craft' beers is cruise line choosing some that will get purchased in a reasonable timeframe and not sit in refrigerator for months. IPA's should be a safe bet for cruise lines as that seems to be a growing style.

 

I wish they would have some draft craft beers, but I am a dreamer. :)

IPAs are still a "growing style", but the hottest out there are the "bourbon barrels".

We were on Reflection July 2014 - great craft beer selection in the refrigerators in Cellar Master.

We were on Silhouette March 29 2015 - Cellar Master still had craft beer, just smaller selection than on Reflection in July 2014.

Definitely no wine in Solstice! Sommelier managed to find the odd corona out the back for someone, but that was all.

It has been hit or miss with me. Celebrity seems to have Boddingtons which I like very much in cans. Have not sailed Celebrity S class in last 3 years. Constellation was limited on our last cruise on her.

Last 2 cruises on Royal Caribbean was able to enjoy Old Speckled Hen in pint bottles, which on both ships I bought out the supply by the end of the cruise.

Cellar Masters had a pretty great beer list on the Silhouette. I drank them out of $2.50 (with the premium pkg) Delirium Tremens and Nocturum!

Cellar Masters had a pretty great beer list on the Silhouette. I drank them out of $2.50 (with the premium pkg) Delirium Tremens and Nocturum!

In January on the Eclipse they had a pretty great beer list in the Cellar Masters, but they did not have the beers just the list.

In January on the Eclipse they had a pretty great beer list in the Cellar Masters, but they did not have the beers just the list.

That is so true. It is funny and sad at the same time.

In January on the Eclipse they had a pretty great beer list in the Cellar Masters, but they did not have the beers just the list.

What a rip! Fortunately on our recent Silhouette cruise they had both the list and the beers. It was a winning combination. :D

What a rip! Fortunately on our recent Silhouette cruise they had both the list and the beers. It was a winning combination. :D

A couple of couples will be checking out the supply on board the Silhouette in December and then will make our decision to upgrade to premium.

Without the good crafts, we can get by with the classic.;)

IPAs are still a "growing style", but the hottest out there are the "bourbon barrels".

Kentucky bourbon barrels as a beer style may be hot, but IPA's are established and worth the financial investment/risk of a cruise line to stock.

That is so true. It is funny and sad at the same time.

What a rip! Fortunately on our recent Silhouette cruise they had both the list and the beers. It was a winning combination. :D

The Eclipse never had the expanded beers in the Michael's Club, so many this is why. I was told they are in transition to have additional beers. Since our cruise Celebrity has announced that the Passport bar is being converted and it will have more high end beers. For me it is more the International beers than the craft beers assuming there is even a difference between the two terms.

That is so true. It is funny and sad at the same time.

What a rip! Fortunately on our recent Silhouette cruise they had both the list and the beers. It was a winning combination. :D

The Eclipse never had the expanded beers in the Michael's Club, so maybe this is why. I was told they are in transition to adding the additional beers. Since our cruise Celebrity has announced that the Passport bar is being converted and it will have more high end beers. For me it is more the International beers than the craft beers assuming there is even a difference between the two terms.

I never looked at a beer list on Eclipse in early March, but they had a bottle of Dogfish Head 90 Minute in the display case near the elevators. I was able to have it fetched to the restaurant on at least two occasions -- so I still have no idea where they were getting it from.

Have they established a new venue for craft beers on the Solstice Class, or just no more craft beers with the re-purposing of Michaels

My guess would be maybe the Gastrobar on Equinox?

I never looked at a beer list on Eclipse in early March, but they had a bottle of Dogfish Head 90 Minute in the display case near the elevators. I was able to have it fetched to the restaurant on at least two occasions -- so I still have no idea where they were getting it from.

Good choice! Don't need many at 9.0% ABV. I tend to like beers in the 5% - 6%

range just so I can have more beer. :)

Good choice! Don't need many at 9.0% ABV. I tend to like beers in the 5% - 6%

range just so I can have more beer. :)

I use to joke about the correlation of ABV to taste that the higher the alcohol content the better it tastes.

Having brewed a few batches of beer and keeping up with the latest news about the industry and beer I read a article that it is a lot harder to make a good tasting beer that is low in alcohol than one that has a higher content. That is why you may not find many smaller breweries with lower ABV beers.

Like you I prefer the lower ABV or session type when on a cruise or a hot summer day when sitting outside on the deck watching a ball game on the TV. If I am just having one it may be one of the higher and they are easy to find and tha is also the reason that I drink so much of the lower ABV is because I am still searching for one that tastes good. :rolleyes:

Drink up 🍺🍷

.

I use to joke about the correlation of ABV to taste that the higher the alcohol content the better it tastes.

 

Having brewed a few batches of beer and keeping up with the latest news about the industry and beer I read a article that it is a lot harder to make a good tasting beer that is low in alcohol than one that has a higher content. That is why you may not find many smaller breweries with lower ABV beers.

 

Like you I prefer the lower ABV or session type when on a cruise or a hot summer day when sitting outside on the deck watching a ball game on the TV. If I am just having one it may be one of the higher and they are easy to find and tha is also the reason that I drink so much of the lower ABV is because I am still searching for one that tastes good. :rolleyes:

 

 

Drink up 🍺🍷

 

.

What's amazing about Dogfish Head is that the higher the alcohol content, the smoother their beers. My son prefers the 60 minute [6% ABV] because he likes the raw hop edge; I prefer the 90 minute [9% ABV] because the hops and alcohol are blended so well that it actually tastes like it has less alcohol than the 60. And last month at the brewery I was finally able to try a 120 [which departs from their usual model in having, not 12%, but a whopping 15-20% ABV] -- and it was the smoothest of all. Thankfully someone else was driving... BTW, Celebrity was charging $7.50 for a 90 minute, which makes it a terrific bargain in my book.

IPAs are still a "growing style", but the hottest out there are the "bourbon barrels".

Oh my! I have a 'few' aging in the cellar:)

Just off the Solstice on it Feb/March Australia Top End sailing. I am an amateur brewer but experienced consumer so the availability of beers on board was a priority for me. I was hoping to get a good selection of craft beers. Whilst there was plenty of variety, they were almost all international commercial varieties with only a handful of what I would classify as 'craft' beers. As mentioned by others, they had Dog Fish Head 90 minute IPA was the pick of the bunch but my go to sessional beer was the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

The passport bar opposite guest relations was the best spot for variety of beers with Ensemble Bar (outside Murano) coming in second place. Cellar Masters had next to nothing. I drank bottled beer almost exclusively on board. They a couple of Aussie beers on tap but they're about the last card in the pack for me. Heineken was on tap in Sky Observation Lounge but it was disgusting.

Whilst the available beers were not all that I had hoped for, I did manage to have 34 different beers on board. We had the premium drink package which was handy. The bar staff were generally very good and if they didn't have a beer at the bar would happily go and look in the nearby cool room.

Here's the list of beers I had on board

1. Coopers pale ale

2. Sam Adams Boston Lager

3. Budweiser

4. Amstel

5. Heineken

6. Corona

7. Dos Equis

8. Newcastle Brown

9. Bodingtons

10. Peroni

11. Crown Lager

12. Hahn Super dry

13. XXXX Gold

14. Sapporo Reserve

15. Vic Bitter

16. Oommergang Abbey Ale

17. Sierra Nevada Kellerweys (Heferweizen)

18. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

19. Tooheys New

20. Dog Fish Head IPA 9%

21. Fullers London Pride

22. Budweiser Light

23. Coors Light

24. Singha

25. Moa St Joseph's

26. San Miguel

27. Amstel Light

28. Datura Damm -Puerto Rico

29. Orval -Belgium

30. Miller Lite,

31. Tiger

32. Heineken Lite

33. Tsingtao

34. Kingfisher

My guess would be maybe the Gastrobar on Equinox?

The selection in the GastroBar was not bad last Nov. No where near as good as on the Reflection in Nov 2013.

Just off the Solstice on it Feb/March Australia Top End sailing. I am an amateur brewer but experienced consumer so the availability of beers on board was a priority for me. I was hoping to get a good selection of craft beers. Whilst there was plenty of variety, they were almost all international commercial varieties with only a handful of what I would classify as 'craft' beers. As mentioned by others, they had Dog Fish Head 90 minute IPA was the pick of the bunch but my go to sessional beer was the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

 

The passport bar opposite guest relations was the best spot for variety of beers with Ensemble Bar (outside Murano) coming in second place. Cellar Masters had next to nothing. I drank bottled beer almost exclusively on board. They a couple of Aussie beers on tap but they're about the last card in the pack for me. Heineken was on tap in Sky Observation Lounge but it was disgusting.

 

Whilst the available beers were not all that I had hoped for, I did manage to have 34 different beers on board. We had the premium drink package which was handy. The bar staff were generally very good and if they didn't have a beer at the bar would happily go and look in the nearby cool room.

 

Here's the list of beers I had on board

 

 

1. Coopers pale ale

2. Sam Adams Boston Lager

3. Budweiser

4. Amstel

5. Heineken

6. Corona

7. Dos Equis

8. Newcastle Brown

9. Bodingtons

10. Peroni

11. Crown Lager

12. Hahn Super dry

13. XXXX Gold

14. Sapporo Reserve

15. Vic Bitter

16. Oommergang Abbey Ale

17. Sierra Nevada Kellerweys (Heferweizen)

18. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

19. Tooheys New

20. Dog Fish Head IPA 9%

21. Fullers London Pride

22. Budweiser Light

23. Coors Light

24. Singha

25. Moa St Joseph's

26. San Miguel

27. Amstel Light

28. Datura Damm -Puerto Rico

29. Orval -Belgium

30. Miller Lite,

31. Tiger

32. Heineken Lite

33. Tsingtao

34. Kingfisher

You are my hero and have inspired me to reconsider the beverage package! I would though not, IMHO, fill one of my beer tasting slots with Miller Lite type beers. But then again I might need to revisit Miller Lite to confirm my opinion of carbonated straw colored water.

I had never thought of doing a sampler and the beverage package would take the sting out of spending money for beers I might not enjoy. I like Bitters/IPA's and tend to stick to them unless off ship and trying the local brews which tend to be lagers at least in the Caribbean.

I tend to prefer ales to lagers, but have been branching out with so many good craft beers now available.