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Jack Skeleton posted:Anyone have advice in turning old beer bottles into glassware? I haven't done this yet, but it may do the trick for you. Seems like pretty straightforward instructions for making a proper glass cutting jig on the cheap. http://www.instructables.com/id/Want-to-cut-wine-bottles-Build-this-jig/
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Mar 31, 2012 20:09
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Stopped at little store in NH today, after having to buy beer at the gas station last night. got a 6 pack of Dale's, a single Lil' S.S., a West Coast IPA, and from the gas station, a Smuttynose IPA, a Moat Mountain Mike's pale, and a Tuckerman 6288 Stout. Mike's and Smuttynose were good, looking forward to the Stout.
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Mar 31, 2012 20:23
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Since the subject of Korean beer was brought up, HITE, OB, and the variations thereof are all really strangely good beers. Not in a craft brewing sense, but in that they are the cleanest, least tasty pilsners of all time. There is a tiny bit of malt flavor in the water, they're extremely pale, but really hit the spot in the middle of a crazy Korean summer. More importantly, I could down about 3 20 Oz glasses of it as we ran out of a bar because it is just like water. Oh drinking games in Korea.
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Mar 31, 2012 21:43
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Speaking of Asia, Japan is livid with legitimately good breweries nowadays. The bad part about this is taxes are such that you can have an extended session at the Baird taproom, for example, and it's like 8000 yen at the end of it. On the other hand, it's fun to go there and bitch about Japan with the hardened old expatriates that hang there, then bitch about the expatriates in Japanese to the barkeep.
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Mar 31, 2012 21:58
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The downside is 90% of all Japanese beer tastes exactly the same, and is all terrible. And it's all lager. It's probably a good thing the last time I was living in Japan I wasn't into beer much otherwise I would have been pretty miserable.
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Mar 31, 2012 22:06
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Just picked up a four pack of Deviant Dale's and I'll be cracking that open as I pack because... It's official- I'm moving to D.C.! So I will be roadtripping from Dallas sometime next week and I think I'll sidetrack to spend a day in Asheville, NC. If you had one day there, where would you go, what would you do?
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Mar 31, 2012 22:08
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the yellow dart posted:Since the subject of Korean beer was brought up, HITE, OB, and the variations thereof are all really strangely good beers. Not in a craft brewing sense, but in that they are the cleanest, least tasty pilsners of all time. There is a tiny bit of malt flavor in the water, they're extremely pale, but really hit the spot in the middle of a crazy Korean summer. God, those beers taste like piss. Each and every one of them. It burns me that they have such a high import tax for other beers.
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Mar 31, 2012 23:23
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West Coast IPA was great, especially after a nice, icy hike up Mt Kearsarge this afternoon. Dale's is also great as usual, though I wish that store had the new Deviant cans. Guess I'll have to wait for an excursion to MA.
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Apr 1, 2012 03:03
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Today was great. I went in to work early, missed my lunch break, then due to circumstances (mostly) beyond my control, I worked a double and then some. Just got home from 16.5 hours on my feet, living off of some Clif bars that were in my Jeep and bottled water. Management was appreciative, however. Just when I was walking out, I got handed a box. Inside the box was a smaller box! Actually, it was beer. A bottle of KBS, a bottle of Double Dead Guy and one of John John Hazelnut, a 4-pack of 21st Ammendment Allies Win the War, some Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, Rocheforts 6/8/10, Widmer B.A. Brrbon, an Old Rasputin XIV Anniversary, and two bottles of Great Divide Yeti. Into the cellar with you lot! Except for the KBS. I'm drinking that poo poo tomorrow at breakfast.
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Apr 1, 2012 03:59
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FreelanceSocialist posted:Today was great. I went in to work early, missed my lunch break, then due to circumstances (mostly) beyond my control, I worked a double and then some. Just got home from 16.5 hours on my feet, living off of some Clif bars that were in my Jeep and bottled water. Management was appreciative, however. Just when I was walking out, I got handed a box. Inside the box was a smaller box! Where on earth do you work
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Apr 1, 2012 04:00
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Munkaboo posted:Where on earth do you work seriously I work 12 hours on a regular basis and don't get boxes of beer as a token of appreciation, I'd knock out an extra four and a half no problems for a beer box. FreelanceSocialist posted:I sell beer. I don't get paid very well, but I get to talk about beer all day and then I get sweet deals on some beer and first dibs on other beer. So it's not a bad transitional job until the economy gets its poo poo together. Ugh, that just makes me sad that I missed the position I applied for as the social media guy at one of my local distributors. If I was done with school, it would have been a shoo-in, they just wanted someone who'd be able to attend more events, and I had night classes on my plate right then.  The pay was about 35 grand, which is astronomical compared to what I get paid now, although it probably really considers as "not very well".
deadwing fucked around with this message at 04:10 on Apr 1, 2012 |
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Apr 1, 2012 04:08
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I sell beer. I don't get paid very well, but I get to talk about beer all day and then I get sweet deals on some beer and first dibs on other beer. So it's not a bad transitional job until the economy gets its poo poo together.
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Apr 1, 2012 04:08
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Scored some Nugget Nectar. Gonna make a meal out of it, most lilely with some spiced spare ribs and kabob. My first 'exclusive' beer purchase  Haven't tried one yet I really hope it lives up to the hype. 
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Apr 1, 2012 04:48
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FreelanceSocialist posted:] looks like those won't be released til late april/early may. Gonna buy the poo poo out of the sahti if signs point to it, you know, not sucking.
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Apr 1, 2012 07:48
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air- posted:It's official- I'm moving to D.C.! So I will be roadtripping from Dallas sometime next week and I think I'll sidetrack to spend a day in Asheville, NC. If you had one day there, where would you go, what would you do? I always like visiting breweries/brewpubs more than bars or bottle shops when I go places. Highland is a solid brewery that has a fun tour, it was my favorite actual tour out of all the places I went. Green Man had my favorite beer out of all the places I went, excellent cask IPA was on and they have complimentary pretzels with some killer mustard. Wedge was the most interesting place visually, somebody there does badass metal working and they're in a little art district. They have awesome barstools with giant springs under them, and the beer is pretty good Places not to go: Craggie and L.A.B. Beer sucked at both places hard.
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Apr 1, 2012 15:59
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I would definitely hit up Green Man,Wedge, and Highland.Josh Wow posted:Places not to go: Craggie and L.A.B. Beer sucked at both places hard. If you think beer there sucked hard, I would hate to go to a tasting with you at the vast majority of small breweries. 
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Apr 1, 2012 17:57
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FreelanceSocialist posted:If you think beer there sucked hard, I would hate to go to a tasting with you at the vast majority of small breweries. I haven't been to either of those places, but one of the unspoken secrets of craft beer is that lots of small breweries are mediocre or outright lovely. Conceptually, more breweries and local breweries are both great ideas, but in practice lots of them really aren't special.
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Apr 1, 2012 18:13
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Visiting a brewery should be about more than the beer. Some batches are downright bad and get poured, sure. I've done it, right in front of the guy who brewed it. It's all about attitude and outlook. It's not "Hey, your beer sucks", it's "Hey, what went in to this? What were you aiming for? What else do you recommend?". When you visit, you meet the people behind it. You taste beers with them. You laugh about a lovely batch or the time they hosed up a grain bill and ended up with a malty mess. You talk to them about brews in the pipeline, about festivals and competitions, about where they're sourcing ingredients. About who they view as competition and what their favorite beers are. These people have their lives invested in their tiny brewery. They love beer. No one is in it to get rich. It's about the people, the process, and the beer. All of it. If it was just about the beer, and nothing else, why even visit? I think this is what craft beer culture is losing sight of. It's all about ratings and making sure everything that touches your lips is worthy of a BA review or a forums post.
FreelanceSocialist fucked around with this message at 18:59 on Apr 1, 2012 |
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Apr 1, 2012 18:45
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I tried Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro last night, and let me tell you...  It's one of the tastiest stouts I've had, and it was my first milk stout. It really does taste like the leftover milk in cocoa pebbles, like I've heard other people say. I also got to try the Stone/Fat Heads/Bear Republic Collab TBA, and that stuff was super delicious as well. It was pretty hoppy, but that's how I like my beers, so I absolutely loved it. This is another beer I wish would be brewed again, just like More Brown Than Black. If this was a bit cheaper than $4/bottle I would pick up a ton of them.
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Apr 1, 2012 18:50
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Man, I can only get the non-nitro LH milk stout (it's still awesome, but I wish I had a chance to compare the two). Just cracked a can of Allies Win the War - All sorts of dark fruits, brown sugar, malts, pine hops. Really cool - manages to be refreshing even with a heavy and sweet winter profile. Wish it wasn't a seasonal. Wish I could find it on tap. Also, have a bottle of Bear Republic XP that I forgot about. Any thoughts?
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Apr 1, 2012 18:57
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FreelanceSocialist posted:Just cracked a can of Allies Win the War - All sorts of dark fruits, brown sugar, malts, pine hops. Really cool - manages to be refreshing even with a heavy and sweet winter profile. Wish it wasn't a seasonal. Wish I could find it on tap. It rules pretty hard on tap. What a delicious, delicious beer. I only drank the 10 ounces I was given but probably could have had cans of the drat thing.
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Apr 1, 2012 19:02
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I'm surprised there's not more April fool's beer jokes. This Bruery canning mass release got a small chuckle out of me.
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Apr 1, 2012 19:29
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Arnold of Soissons posted:I haven't been to either of those places, but one of the unspoken secrets of craft beer is that lots of small breweries are mediocre or outright lovely. Conceptually, more breweries and local breweries are both great ideas, but in practice lots of them really aren't special. More neighborhood breweries really care now than in the '90s when every local McFunnigan's-type family restaurant got into the game, but what you say is indeed true. Personally I agree with him on the L.A.B. -- it's a regular restaurant that seemed to tack on the brewery -- but I liked Craggie a lot.
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Apr 1, 2012 20:00
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Jack Skeleton posted:I'm surprised there's not more April fool's beer jokes. I saw that just like 5 minutes after waking up and got excited at the prospect of 12/16 oz cans instead of 25 oz bottles. Then I remembered it was april fools day So, I recently tried a couple of beers by Knee Deep Brewing, who I've never really heard of until recently but a local bar's been getting their beer in. Their citra pale ale was pretty tasty, and this new one, a saison called Ryedentity crisis, was really loving good. Guess I'll be hitting up that bar more often since they just get rotating styles by them, one keg at a time. Anybody know of any other brews of theirs I should be on the lookout for?
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Apr 1, 2012 20:12
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FreelanceSocialist posted:Visiting a brewery should be about more than the beer.... If it was just about the beer, and nothing else, why even visit? so, what's wrong with saying the beer at those particular places suck? someone asked how best to spend a limited amount of time in a particular place and Josh Wow gave him his opinion on the best and worst options available. also, you know, if a brewery or brewpub produces lovely beer, why wouldn't the quality of the beer make a difference?
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Apr 1, 2012 20:38
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air- posted:It's official- I'm moving to D.C.! So I will be roadtripping from Dallas sometime next week and I think I'll sidetrack to spend a day in Asheville, NC. If you had one day there, where would you go, what would you do? Josh's recommendations are spot on. Go get the oyster stout at The Lobster Trap. They usually have it on a beer engine and it's great. If you like indian food at all, go eat at Chai Pani and get their take on fried green tomatoes...they are one of the best things I've ever eaten.
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Apr 1, 2012 20:42
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Kudosx posted:I tried Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro last night, and let me tell you... Plus, it's fun to watch. Here's some dude doing the hard pour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzVEV0mmDPQ (Yes, I am a babby and just discovered nitros like 2 weeks ago and cannot remember ever drinking Guinness despite being of Irish descent.)
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Apr 1, 2012 21:10
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FreelanceSocialist posted:If it was just about the beer, and nothing else, why even visit? I think this is what craft beer culture is losing sight of. It's all about ratings and making sure everything that touches your lips is worthy of a BA review or a forums post. Visiting a brewery/brewpub doesn't usually come with a full behind the scenes tour and chit-chat session with the brewers and owners. If every time I visited a brewpub I got face time with the people who make it work maybe the quality would be secondary, but most of the time it's like any other bar or restaurant experience. If my experience is limited to a beer and a burger, that's as much as I can rate. The local homebrew club is where you go for camaraderie and wonky conversation. If professional brewers don't receive critical feedback from customers (or worse, don't take it seriously), they aren't going to do well in the extremely competitive bar/restaurant scene. Once you open the doors for customers and try to compete with other establishments, it stops being about the brewmaster's enjoyment and becomes 100% about the customers' enjoyment.
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Apr 1, 2012 21:20
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FreelanceSocialist posted:No one is in it to get rich. There are exceptions to this, but they tend to be owned by people who invest more in equipment and advertising than in quality control, process and staff. In other words, dumb assholes. I've worked for the type before, and these are often the people who put out mediocre or outright terrible beer - either because they cut corners and just want to make a quick buck (which, as you said, really doesn't happen), or because their staff are too overworked and dissatisfied to be at the top of their game. This seems to be a lot less common since the industry crash in the 90s, thankfully, but those guys are still out there. Most people who visit a brewpub don't get a full tour and chat with the brewers, so the beer and atmosphere are the first thing the brewery/pub puts forward, and the primary criteria by which people will judge the establishment. But getting the chance to talk with the brewers tends to be very rewarding and enjoyable, so it's nice when they put a lot of effort into establishing a more personal relationship with the public. But despite all the niceties, a brewery is still a business first and foremost, so no matter how friendly the brewer is, if the brewery isn't putting out good beer it's the first thing people will notice. And if a brewery puts out some bad beers, it's not necessarily because they're not passionate about the craft - putting out high-quality, consistent beer is hard, and individual preferences and tastes vary a lot. While larger craft breweries can afford to have their own labs and QC departments, the really small ones can't, so they have less data on which to assess beer and fewer opportunities to catch mistakes before they make it into the bottle/keg/can. Going from an idea to a recipe to a finished beer takes a shitload of planning, formulating and testing, plus any new brewery will spend some time getting the hang of its process and equipment.
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Apr 1, 2012 22:04
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Jack Skeleton posted:I'm surprised there's not more April fool's beer jokes. Here, have a Rocky Mountain Oyster stout.
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Apr 1, 2012 22:34
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Maybe I'm just a dry-lander, but buffalo testicles sound more appetizing than brine-soaked sea mussels.
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Apr 2, 2012 00:16
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Kudosx posted:I tried Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro last night, and let me tell you... It was good before nitro, but the nitro bottle really brought it to a whole new level in my opinion. edit: Ayinger Celebrator is one of the best beers on the planet and I'm so happy I can get it year round. crazyfish fucked around with this message at 00:48 on Apr 2, 2012 |
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Apr 2, 2012 00:44
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Jack Skeleton posted:I'm surprised there's not more April fool's beer jokes. Well...
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Apr 2, 2012 00:56
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That IS land-locked speak. Oysters rule. Has anyone had White Birch's Barleywine? I'm drinking some now (bottled Jan 2011), and it's completely uncarbonated. Not Cool.
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Apr 2, 2012 01:13
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FreelanceSocialist posted:If you think beer there sucked hard, I would hate to go to a tasting with you at the vast majority of small breweries. Not sure I get your point here since I recommended Wedge and Green Man as well, so I'm clearly not biased against small breweries. The beers I had at LAB were very bland and served way too cold. The guy who served me at Craggie worked there as a brewer and of the 3 beers I asked him about he didn't have a positive thing to say about any of them. The 2 beers I tried were pretty loving terrible so maybe I should commend him on his honesty but he should have at least pointed me to beers he thought were good rather than just making disparaging remarks about the ones I got. Plus if somebody is asking for recommendations on places to go I'm going to tell them where i had bad experiences, I would expect people to do the same for me. I work at a small brewery, I know it's about more than just the beer but for consumers it basically is just about the beer. If you take a tour at my work you probably aren't going to meet the awesome people I work with or hear funny stories, you're going to drink the beer and take the same tour everybody else does so if those things suck there's no reason for you to come. There's 2 breweries in Asheville I didn't much care for, but the beer wasn't bad it just wasn't really to my tastes. I didn't mention those places because I'm not gonna recommend something I didn't really enjoy but they're clearly not bad breweries. Josh Wow fucked around with this message at 01:19 on Apr 2, 2012 |
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Apr 2, 2012 01:16
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Thanks for all the suggestions! I had it in my mind that Asheville has all these breweries within walking distance but Pisgah and Wedge require driving, so I'll have to try and find a bar that serves their beer. I was hoping to just take it easy and have that stop for unwinding a little, and was planning on staying at this hostel right by LAB, then walk to a few places. Possibly get a cab for Appalachian Vintner. But if they're really worth a drive I'll adjust plans.
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Apr 2, 2012 01:46
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I'm pretty sure you can walk to Wedge, if I remember correctly it's only like a mile out of downtown. Pisgah is a 30ish minute drive though. Highland and French Broad are like 15-20 minues out of town. That Oyster Stout at the Lobster Trap somebody else recommended is fantastic as well.
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Apr 2, 2012 02:01
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Saw some other Ballast Point offerings besides Sculpin here in Ohio for the first time. I'm actually going to head back there on Tuesday. Anyone recommend any of their other brews? I think they pretty much had everything between the bombers and the six packs.
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Apr 2, 2012 02:04
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Welp, Nugget Nectar owns. It's like a strong, red IPA that balances sweetness and hops very well. Would buy this all the time if it were on the shelves. Next up to try: Union Jack. Cheers all!
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Apr 2, 2012 02:11
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air- posted:Thanks for all the suggestions! are you going to be in DC, or nearby? also, depending on your route, i might have suggestions for another stop or two Mahoning posted:Anyone recommend any of their other brews? can't comment on the IPAs, but Black Marlin is a really solid porter, Sea Monster was underwhelming, and Wahoo Wheat is... not very good. haven't had any of their limited-release stuff yet.
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Apr 2, 2012 03:17
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