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On vacation in texas, thanks everyone who gave recommendations. Yesterday we hit up Blue Star in San Antonio...  Pale ale tasted of caramel and butter, minimal hops. Wheat beer was bland and had the throat burning acid I associate with dirty beer lines. Their stout was decent, your basic Guinness clone. We did have pretty great nachos, at least!Right now I am at Black Star coop in Austin, this joint is doing it right. Super nice taproom, awesome food and selection, nice tap and bottle list. I had their Vulcan rye IPA which was intense but enjoyable. Now I'm working through a random sampler of Texas brews the bartender made me. Adelberts blonde: dude said its keg conditioned, poured so yeasty it's basically brown. Tasted fine if unremarkable. I look forward to awful beer farts on the drive back to San Antonio! Independence Lupulust "hoppy tripel" : really great. Smells and tastes like a good tripel dosed with an asdload of noble hops. Live oak schwarzbier: haven't had a lot of this style but it seems well made, nice dark malt character without being super heavy or roasty. Pretty tannic and astringent in the finish, though. St Arnold Bitter Belgian: reminded me of the Lupulust but not as good. A bit darker and maltier. Still very nice. It's possible I have those two backwards but I don't think so, sampler didn't have a guide or label. So far, Austin > SA. May try to hit Freetail tomorrow on our last full day here. Docjowles fucked around with this message at 23:45 on Mar 15, 2012 |
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Mar 15, 2012 23:26
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Deciding to do a little barleywine/stout tasting for my housewarming party tonight. I have Founders Curmudgeon's Better Half, Port Brewing Old Viscosity, Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti, and Firestone 15. Anyone have a good idea of what food to pair these with? I'm trying to think of the order and I think I'm going to start with the Yeti then work into the barrel aged beers, Viscosity next since it's 1/5th aged, Curmudgeons, then 15, do a Stout then Barleywine back and forth. I've never done a tasting so I'll take some advice.
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Mar 15, 2012 23:59
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Growler Question : I'm used to Victory Brewing, which has a commercially awesome growler set up,and beautiful swing top growlers..... they pump CO2 in and the growler lasts for over a week... Heading back to Spring House tomorrow... but they do it the "old" way and fill straight from the tap into the screwtop growler... how long can I expect one of those to last in my fridge ?
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Mar 16, 2012 00:10
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I wouldn't trust it more than 3 days after, ideally you're best drinking it that night.
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Mar 16, 2012 00:17
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thats what I thought :-/ Such a shame. They have Big Gruesome(PB Stout 8% ABV) and Little Gruesome(PBJ Stout 8.3%ABV ) on tap... and I cant' finish off 2 growlers with one person here... haha.
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Mar 16, 2012 00:26
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Midorka posted:Deciding to do a little barleywine/stout tasting for my housewarming party tonight. I have Founders Curmudgeon's Better Half, Port Brewing Old Viscosity, Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti, and Firestone 15. Anyone have a good idea of what food to pair these with? I'm trying to think of the order and I think I'm going to start with the Yeti then work into the barrel aged beers, Viscosity next since it's 1/5th aged, Curmudgeons, then 15, do a Stout then Barleywine back and forth. I would do that Yeti last because the Espresso flavor is very pronounced. Pair it with something that also has a coffee or bitter cocoa flavor to take the edge off the beer's raw coffee bean flavor.
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Mar 16, 2012 01:44
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CalvinDooglas posted:I would do that Yeti last because the Espresso flavor is very pronounced. Pair it with something that also has a coffee or bitter cocoa flavor to take the edge off the beer's raw coffee bean flavor. Wound up drinking it first, but it was from December of 2010 so the espresso flavor was very mellow, I picked up oak and vanilla and as it warmed up I swear I smelled some sweetness of lactose...The hops were long faded though which definitely changed this though it still had a very intense aroma, but a mellow flavor.
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Mar 16, 2012 02:03
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Probably an improvement over the fresh flavor. I only had it at the brewery when it first came out. All the different kinds of bitterness coming together were just too much fresh. If you ever find the regular Chocolate Yeti, that poo poo is good fresh. It has a touch of cayenne that really balances the huge sweetness.
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Mar 16, 2012 02:57
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I was one of the lucky bastards that got an email from my local store to be allocated a bottle of KBS. Picked up a DFH 75 Minute IPA while I was there; hope it's good.
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Mar 16, 2012 03:58
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What is different about the 75Minute? Is it...actually supposed to be exactly between the 60 and 90? Or is it special?
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Mar 16, 2012 04:18
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ChiTownEddie posted:What is different about the 75Minute? Is it...actually supposed to be exactly between the 60 and 90? Or is it special? I think it's actually a blend of the 60 and 90 with some maple syrup in it.
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Mar 16, 2012 04:22
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crazyfish posted:I think it's actually a blend of the 60 and 90 with some maple syrup in it. Holy crap really? I had to look it up. DFH posted:a blend of 60 and 90 Minute IPAs with a special whole leaf cascade dry-hopping session. Post-hopping the beer gest transferred into firkins and dosed with fresh yeast and maple syrup from the ole family homestead  I'm horrified and also really, really want to try it.
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Mar 16, 2012 04:26
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Wow okay, yeah, I want to try that. On a unrelated (but two beers blended together related...) note, at Day of the Living ales the Madame Rose and Juliet blend and aged and whatever else Goose Island did to it, I loved it.
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Mar 16, 2012 04:42
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CalvinDooglas posted:Probably an improvement over the fresh flavor. I only had it at the brewery when it first came out. All the different kinds of bitterness coming together were just too much fresh. I definitely appreciate the age on this mellowing the roasted malts and espresso, there's a nice oak and vanilla blending into this and I swear I'm picking up some lactose sweetness from this. By the way mine was from December of 2010 so it's definitely very mellow by now. I like this a lot and age has mellowed it a bit. Midorka fucked around with this message at 05:27 on Mar 16, 2012 |
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Mar 16, 2012 04:47
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Two crazy different beers to talk about tonight! First, Older Viscosity from Port Brewery. Holy crap, this is a hell of a beer. Both times I've seen it, it's been $20 for a 12oz bottle. A friend and I split a bottle, and it is an amazing sipping beer - thick and rich and full of flavors and warming-ness. Second, Sorachi Ace from Brooklyn Brewery. It's a pretty good saison (sharper than I was expecting), but for some reason it absolutely hits me with that 'holy poo poo this smells exactly like pot' like nothing else I've encountered before. I've seen it talked about in this thread, but it's wacky to encounter for myself! I need to pick up a six-pack of Troegs Hopback Amber Ale tomorrow, I've heard it talked about a lot and I need something to cleanse my palate before the insanity that will be St. Patrick's Day.
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Mar 16, 2012 06:12
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Funny beer story! I'm hanging out at the library cafe today with my college friends. Beer by the bottle there is advertised at $3.50, including a nice selection of craft beers. My personal choice was the Mission Double IPA. I got a bottle and the house special for free for bringing in business (got a nice arrangement with the store manager) A couple of hours later I go up to order wings and another Mission. The shift manager tells me that they jacked up the price of Mission since it doesn't sell well. I tell her and insist that the advertised price for all beer by the bottle is $3.50. She gives in and sells me the Mission for the original price. The squeaky wheel gets the tire, and the persistent college student gets the beer cheaper  By the way: Double IPA hits like a truck. I had two, and it felt like four. cyberpunksurvivor fucked around with this message at 06:34 on Mar 16, 2012 |
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Mar 16, 2012 06:22
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Wouldn't they lower the price instead of raising it if it doesn't sell?
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Mar 16, 2012 07:40
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thesteelhellion posted:Wouldn't they lower the price instead of raising it if it doesn't sell? "Hey, I sold 50 Bud Lights for $3 and 25 Mission IPAs for $3. I would make the same amount of money if I doubled the price to the made the Mission IPAs to $6" 
Angry Grimace fucked around with this message at 08:38 on Mar 16, 2012 |
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Mar 16, 2012 08:33
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My local store is getting in a few cases of KBS, limited to one 4 pack per customer. I'm going to go pick mine up at noon tomorrow, and I'm pretty excited. I've never tried KBS, and Founder's Breakfast Stout is my favorite Stout I've tried thus far.
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Mar 16, 2012 12:51
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LeeMajors posted:Glad you liked it. I'm not sure if the two are owned by same guys or what, but they are an amazing group. Represent the T-shirt! Those guys deserve all the advertisement they can get. I send everyone there. yeah, there's definitely a relation, but i don't know if they're cousin stores or straight-up owned by the same people/person. as for the shirt, i don't wear any logo apparel if possible (and i'm only a few steps from rocking Einstein's closet). had my first Rodenbach last night, which was sold to me illegally by a bar, and it was good, but i was hoping for something a bit more sour. guess i need to track down the grand cru instead of the classic, huh?
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Mar 16, 2012 13:53
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cyberpunksurvivor posted:
That's because it IS four alcohol wise.
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Mar 16, 2012 14:43
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Seeing all these stores getting KBS just makes me more puzzled as to why so many people lined up for the KBS release. I understand Dark Lord and Hunahpu's; you're not getting those bottles anywhere else (legally).
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Mar 16, 2012 15:08
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bananasinpajamas posted:Seeing all these stores getting KBS just makes me more puzzled as to why so many people lined up for the KBS release. I understand Dark Lord and Hunahpu's; you're not getting those bottles anywhere else (legally). Yeah... it kind of confuses me as well. Like, the store I said was getting some in is actually a grocery store, and they're getting them in at 4 stores all within an hour of each other. If you wanted to make the drive, you could easily get four 4 packs just from that place. There's also 3-4 other stores in the area that will be getting it in, and I'm sure they'll be a 4 pack limit also, but you could get over a case and a half in my area pretty easily if you tried...
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Mar 16, 2012 15:14
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cyberpunksurvivor posted:The shift manager tells me that they jacked up the price of Mission since it doesn't sell well. That's a great plan, Walter. That's fuckin' ingenious, if I understand it correctly. It's a Swiss fuckin' watch.
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Mar 16, 2012 15:19
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funkybottoms posted:had my first Rodenbach last night, which was sold to me illegally by a bar, and it was good, but i was hoping for something a bit more sour. guess i need to track down the grand cru instead of the classic, huh? The Grand Cru isn't any more sour than the original Rodenbach, it's just a blend of younger and older versions. If you come across any of the oak-aged reserve Rodenbachs, GET IT. It's awesome. I had one from 2007, and there's a bottle at my local store of the 2009 that I hope is still there when I go in search of Hoptimum today.
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Mar 16, 2012 15:52
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bananasinpajamas posted:Seeing all these stores getting KBS just makes me more puzzled as to why so many people lined up for the KBS release. I understand Dark Lord and Hunahpu's; you're not getting those bottles anywhere else (legally). i think it depends on where you are. one of the suburban chicago shops i check out was allocating 2 per customer at a huge mark-up because they were selling (illegally) the bottles they got at the release. outside of a trade, that was the only way i had a shot at getting it so i bit. i'm willing to bet very, very few other chicago stores got any at all via legal distribution. of course, this particular shop of mine also puts new glarus and shorts on their shelves, neither of which have illinois distros...
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Mar 16, 2012 16:10
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Podima posted:Second, Sorachi Ace from Brooklyn Brewery. It's a pretty good saison (sharper than I was expecting), but for some reason it absolutely hits me with that 'holy poo poo this smells exactly like pot' like nothing else I've encountered before. I've seen it talked about in this thread, but it's wacky to encounter for myself! That's odd you got that from Sorachi Ace, I was smacked in the face with lemon and a peppery spice and nothing more, now Beer Hop Breakfast on the other hand... I actually just had my first Hopback Amber Ale yesterday and it was nice, light floral hops and a slightly sweet malt bill giving a caramel flavor. It's something I would recommend to someone looking to get into craft beer as a way to ease them in. Last night I wound up very drunk getting through the Firestone 15, Espresso Oak Aged Yeti and Founders Curmudgeon's Better Half with my friend. Firestone 15 was probably my favorite, I couldn't get over it's complexity. Overall it had a nice sweet caramel, vanilla, oak and a bourbon/brandy profile to it, but so much more was there. Curmudgeons better half was really sweet, but not cloying. Lots of maple oak and vanilla and I picked up some burnt sugar too towards the end. It was a good beer but it was also the last of 3 big bottles split two ways so I couldn't fully appreciate it.
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Mar 16, 2012 16:56
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cryme posted:The Grand Cru isn't any more sour than the original Rodenbach, it's just a blend of younger and older versions. If you come across any of the oak-aged reserve Rodenbachs, GET IT. It's awesome. I had one from 2007, and there's a bottle at my local store of the 2009 that I hope is still there when I go in search of Hoptimum today. I would say the Grand Cru is more sour and overall more intense flavor wise than the regular Rodenbach, which has gotten rather sweet.
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Mar 16, 2012 17:01
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bananasinpajamas posted:Seeing all these stores getting KBS just makes me more puzzled as to why so many people lined up for the KBS release. I understand Dark Lord and Hunahpu's; you're not getting those bottles anywhere else (legally). Here in the Ann Arbor area, lots of small grocery stores are getting 1-3 cases but you pretty much had to get your name on the list last week to get a 4-pack for $20. When I went and picked my 4-pack up, the lady said they were receiving calls for it every 5 minutes all this week. Another store sold out in an hour or so today. Obviously your area may vary. My girlfriend was able to get the last 4-pack up in Traverse City Michigan about 4 hours after they went on sale - and that particular store had the release posted on Founder's website.
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Mar 16, 2012 17:06
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bananasinpajamas posted:Seeing all these stores getting KBS just makes me more puzzled as to why so many people lined up for the KBS release. I understand Dark Lord and Hunahpu's; you're not getting those bottles anywhere else (legally). My local store in Chicago basically had a list of regulars and saved one bottle for each. Most of the stores in the area basically got one case at most, and the ones that get more than one are the ones that sell out as soon as the truck pulls up.
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Mar 16, 2012 17:12
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rage-saq posted:I would say the Grand Cru is more sour and overall more intense flavor wise than the regular Rodenbach, which has gotten rather sweet. yeah, it was fairly sweet. good, but i was expecting something more sour based on the conversation in the previous threads (which might actually have been about the grand cru). re: Sorachi Ace, i don't get pot from that at all. like Midorka said, it's pretty overwhelmingly lemongrass to me. going back a bit, i have smelled a beer that was reminiscent of cat piss, and i've smelled pot plants that had a similar odor, and since pot and hops are related... yeah, i don't think that's an inaccurate descriptor, although it's certainly an unappealing one.
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Mar 16, 2012 17:26
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It's just completely fascinating to me how everyone reacts differently to the various hop smells in beer - I have a pretty strong sense of smell (compensation for being deaf, wahey) so I figure that's part of it besides the whole palate thing.
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Mar 16, 2012 17:29
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funkybottoms posted:yeah, it was fairly sweet. good, but i was expecting something more sour based on the conversation in the previous threads (which might actually have been about the grand cru). Ever since Peter left Rodenbach and Rudy took over brewing their beers have tended towards sweeter, though a new Rodenbach Grand Cru that has like 6 months on it gets more towards where it used to be. The Rodenbach Vintage releases (a Rudy invention) are better than the old Rodenbach Grand Cru, more developed flavor profile and sourness that is pretty drat good.
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Mar 16, 2012 18:10
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gently caress. The amount of people posting saying they're going to the KBS release at this grocery store is absurd. I think I'm gonna have to show up like an hour early just for a 4 pack... it's first come, first serve. Doh!
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Mar 16, 2012 18:44
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Kudosx posted:gently caress. The amount of people posting saying they're going to the KBS release at this grocery store is absurd. I think I'm gonna have to show up like an hour early just for a 4 pack... it's first come, first serve. Doh! With demand like this stores should impose bottle limits for sure, when that many people want something 2 bottles should suffice.
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Mar 16, 2012 19:20
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Since I just ran across this thread, I figure I'll throw out a cry for help (or something): my little ikea cabinet that I use to store/cellar beers is overflowing. I figure that since any new cabinet is going to cost me money anyway, I might as well invest in a wine fridge to do it right (at least for the fancier things I plan on keeping for a few years). So... What do people use? I'll be keeping it in my dining/living room, I'd prefer something quiet. My research says that means I should get a system that uses thermoelectric tech rather than a standard compressor, but those seem to have smaller capacities and seem to be dependent on the ambient air temperature on the low end. I'd like something that holds at least 15 bottles and stays under $200. e: Best part of my research was running across this. That is seriously the worst reviewed product I've ever seen on Amazon: 27 reviews, 22 One-Stars. danbanana fucked around with this message at 20:29 on Mar 16, 2012 |
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Mar 16, 2012 20:26
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What's crazy is that I have that exact unit and have been using it for 4 years with no issue.
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Mar 16, 2012 20:32
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People seem to be shitcanning wine fridges left right and center on craigslist. I got one that was about 3 years old, originally had a $400 MSRP, for $50 last year. Between the racks and the bottom-most part which allows for a number of upright bottles, I can fit about 35-40 beers inside it. /cue 'NEVER LAY YOUR BEERS DOWN THEY'RE NOT MEANT TO BE LAID DOWN' talk...
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Mar 16, 2012 23:18
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wattershed posted:/cue 'NEVER LAY YOUR BEERS DOWN THEY'RE NOT MEANT TO BE LAID DOWN' talk... Is there really any danger to the beer aside from having the sediment/yeast gather on the side of the bottle rather than the bottom? I guess it would kind of be difficult to pour without disturbing that stuff. Yeast sediment in beer (where it's not supposed to be) can be really funky and throw off the flavor. My dad just has a mini-fridge that my sister stopped using after college set to like 55F, seems to work well. Everything stays upright and near perfect temeperature.
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Mar 17, 2012 01:40
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Tried a Dirty Bastard tonight. The waitress said it was a scotch ale, but I am pretty sure it was their porter. It was black as hell and ashtray-y. Not too bad, but a little heavy on the cigarette butt for me. I picked up a Mc Chouffe brown ale tonight. I bought it on a whim, I know nothing about it. I'm confident I will like it, though. Being new to craft beers is exciting. The WIFE and I are headed out to Red Hare brewery for a tour tomorrow, if we can get a sitter. My first beer tour. The Dregs fucked around with this message at 02:01 on Mar 17, 2012 |
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Mar 17, 2012 01:58
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