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Sirotan posted:I'm at Jolly Pumpkin right now and I just have to tell someone that I'm drinking Biere de Mars on tap and it's probably the most prefect beer I've ever had. Holy poo poo. I wish I could sit here and drink this all night. Drink this beer now if you can. Had this on tap this weekend at jerry's in chicago. Excellent and recommended.
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Apr 5, 2012 00:22
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Retemnav posted:Looks like New Belgium is probably coming to Asheville! Pretty awesome, suck it Philly. What a surprise that they picked Asheville over a city that penalizes you for trying to start a business and employ people and add to the tax base. Go loving figure.
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Apr 5, 2012 00:23
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Retemnav posted:Looks like New Belgium is probably coming to Asheville! Pretty awesome, suck it Philly. Hell yeah, one step closer to distribution in Florida.
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Apr 5, 2012 00:54
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Phanatic posted:What a surprise that they picked Asheville over a city that penalizes you for trying to start a business and employ people and add to the tax base. Go loving figure. Not to mention a state with arcane liquor laws rivaled only by Utah's. Edit: Re: Pliny the Elder, I don't feel it's overrated at all. I think it's an outstanding example of the style. But if there are many lesser-known beers that are just as good, I think that's more a reflection of how insanely far the industry has come and how lucky we are right now as beer lovers than it is a reflection on PtE being "overrated". As far as I remember, there sure wasn't always dozens of beers as good as Pliny. Docjowles fucked around with this message at 01:23 on Apr 5, 2012 |
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Apr 5, 2012 01:01
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Docjowles posted:Not to mention a state with arcane liquor laws rivaled only by Utah's. Agree with this 100%. Also, http://vimeo.com/38581012 explains a bit of why I think people attach 'overrated' to it - it's an incredible beer and among the best DIPAs in the world, but it is not the end-all-be-all of IPAs.
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Apr 5, 2012 01:44
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Docjowles posted:Not to mention a state with arcane liquor laws rivaled only by Utah's. Arcane or not, Philly is still a mecca for the bar scene and the amount of A-grade distributed breweries is second to maybe Cali.
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Apr 5, 2012 03:08
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Midorka posted:Arcane or not, Philly is still a mecca for the bar scene and the amount of A-grade distributed breweries is second to maybe Cali. Fair enough. But if you are going to invest (probably) a million bucks in a huge rear end production brewery and tap room and it's your base of operations for half the US, would you rather be in a community oriented toward the business of making and selling beer or one that is aggressively hostile to it? They can ship up kegs of La Folie and random Lips of Faith releases from Asheville to the Philly bar scene just fine. Edit: Before someone gets pedantic on me they will probably keep brewing their sours out of Fort Collins cause that's where their barrel room is, but you get the point. Also that Pliny video is gold  We have it so good.
Docjowles fucked around with this message at 05:22 on Apr 5, 2012 |
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Apr 5, 2012 05:19
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Can I get an opinion on Modelo? Is it any good?
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Apr 5, 2012 05:52
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cyberpunksurvivor posted:Can I get an opinion on Modelo? Is it any good? It's not anything super special but you can do a LOT worse. I don't really seek it out, but it's a very well-made and refreshing Vienna lager. Worlds better than Corona or Bud Lite Lime or something. Basically if you are at a Mexican joint trying to decide what to order, just get Negra Modelo and you will not regret it--and you will actually enjoy it if you don't ruin it with a goddam lime.
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Apr 5, 2012 06:00
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So if you've ever watched or been to a Cleveland Indians game, you may have heard the constant beating of a drum whenever the Tribe gets runners in scoring position. There's a guy named John Adams who literally is there every game beating the drum. So anyways, Great Lakes just named their new red ale "Rally Drummer Red Ale" in his honor. Pretty cool. 
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Apr 5, 2012 13:04
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Man, that means we'll have New Belgium and Sierra Nevada in Asheville - two of the three giants in one already awesome beer town. Welp, looks like I'm moving.
FreelanceSocialist fucked around with this message at 13:11 on Apr 5, 2012 |
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Apr 5, 2012 13:07
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There are places that don't get Sierra Nevada?
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Apr 5, 2012 13:46
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No, New Belgium and Sierra Nevada will literally be in Asheville - they're both building new breweries there.
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Apr 5, 2012 13:55
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Mahoning posted:So if you've ever watched or been to a Cleveland Indians game, you may have heard the constant beating of a drum whenever the Tribe gets runners in scoring position. There's a guy named John Adams who literally is there every game beating the drum. The craziest thing about this guy is that he has been doing it for almost 40 years. I first heard him when I went to a game when I was about 5, and I have heard him in every game I've been to since then. I knew he always went to the games, but until recently, I didn't know he's attended almost every game since 1973 I'm really glad he's getting some recognition outside of the stadium, he deserves it! My local store is going to have the red ale on tap, I'd like to try it, but I'm not sure I want a growler full.
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Apr 5, 2012 15:31
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FreelanceSocialist posted:No, New Belgium and Sierra Nevada will literally be in Asheville - they're both building new breweries there. I didn't realize SN was building a new brewery. That's awesome. Hopefully NB on the east coast means we'll get some up here in Maine. More SN selection would be nice, too.
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Apr 5, 2012 15:33
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Today The Brew Kettle is doing a firkin of White Rajah with Simcoe Hops, infused with Tequila, Agava Nectar, lime juice, and aged on cherry wood.  I really need to make it out to Strongsville today.
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Apr 5, 2012 16:33
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I read once that Russian River was looking to build an east coast brewery, I can't find the drat article again though.
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Apr 5, 2012 16:36
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Midorka posted:I read once that Russian River was looking to build an east coast brewery, I can't find the drat article again though. I was under the impression that Vinnie wasn't too keen on expanding any further? I could be mistaken, though. Speaking of RR, though, I used all my available time off (and money) to head up to Santa Rosa on the 30th for the release of Beautification. RR may be renown for Pliny (love it), but I'll be damned if their sours are not loving spectacular. Also, agreeing with all the love for Jolly Pumpkin! Finally, I managed to snag up Citra from Kern River Brewing Company, and while I still enjoy the Elder a little bit more, it is a sparkling example of what a DIPA should be.
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Apr 5, 2012 16:44
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Aopeth posted:I was under the impression that Vinnie wasn't too keen on expanding any further? I could be mistaken, though. Everything I've read since agrees with that, but I read in one article that he grew up on the east, or something, and had hopes of one day starting something back over here. That or he just loved some part of the east and wanted to be a part of the area. gently caress I sound stupid but I know I read something like it once and was super excited at the potential for RR to come to New Jersey.
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Apr 5, 2012 16:52
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Speaking of Russian River, sometime in August I'm going to be driving through Pennsylvania and I was wondering what Russian River brews are available at the beer distributors there. I know they generally don't carry the full lineup, but can I get Pliny? The sours?
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Apr 5, 2012 17:06
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crazyfish posted:Speaking of Russian River, sometime in August I'm going to be driving through Pennsylvania and I was wondering what Russian River brews are available at the beer distributors there. I know they generally don't carry the full lineup, but can I get Pliny? The sours? From what I understand, you will probably only be able to find sours. RR doesn't typically ship IPAs to Philly because of freshness issues. They do of course ship kegs of IPAs, but I don't think they do bottles.
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Apr 5, 2012 17:11
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Kudosx posted:From what I understand, you will probably only be able to find sours. RR doesn't typically ship IPAs to Philly because of freshness issues. They do of course ship kegs of IPAs, but I don't think they do bottles. Got it. I'll have to take up a collection before I go then - a case of sours ain't gonna be cheap.
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Apr 5, 2012 17:13
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crazyfish posted:Got it. I'll have to take up a collection before I go then - a case of sours ain't gonna be cheap. Let me know how it works out for you. I'm not 100% familiar with PA distribution laws, but I get the general idea. You have to buy a case of 100% the same beer, right? You can't go and mix your own 24 of RR sours? I like RR's Sours quite a bit, but I'm not sure I could ever buy an entire case of the same one.
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Apr 5, 2012 18:04
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I've heard of most RR offerings being found in Philly and have personally found Redemption and Damnation in the one store I looked (I only went to one store because I wound up spending $80 on poo poo I can't get in NJ.) As for how you buy beer there, I've heard some funky things but there are many bottle shops you can go to and buy singles of beer. I'm confused on how the whole thing works, but I do know most bottle shops in Philly mark up things a lot, I paid $20 for an Alesmith Speedway Stout for instance. Here are 2 places I've heard highly recommended. I believe they are both distributors so they can only sell cases at a time but they both have a decent list. If you want single bottles though you're going to have to pay huge price mark-ups at bottle shops. Midorka fucked around with this message at 18:12 on Apr 5, 2012 |
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Apr 5, 2012 18:05
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Midorka posted:I've heard of most RR offerings being found in Philly and have personally found Redemption and Damnation in the one store I looked (I only went to one store because I wound up spending $80 on poo poo I can't get in NJ.) Unfortunately I'm not going anywhere near that far east. I'll be going from Ohio past Pittsburgh on my way to Morgantown. Any recommendations along that route? crazyfish fucked around with this message at 18:40 on Apr 5, 2012 |
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Apr 5, 2012 18:35
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Sorry but I have no experience with Western Pennsylvania.
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Apr 5, 2012 18:38
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Midorka posted:
PA liquor laws in a nutshell: Only distributors can sell cases. And they can *only* sell cases, not six-packs or singles (They can sell 12-pack cases of big bottles). Any place that has a license to sell beer for consumption on the premises can sell beer to go. They don't have to, but they can, which means most bars will sell you six-packs or singles to go. But since that's a bar, you're paying bar prices for your bottles. Many of them will give a discount for to-go beer, so you're not paying *quite* as high of a markup (At Teresa's, for instance, it's a 20% discount off the menu price if you get it to-go). That's what the bottle shops are, from an alcohol-license perspective, they're essentially just restaurants. Pinnochio's is a pizza place with pizza and cheesesteaks and a sit-down bar and 24 taps and 850 bottles. Capone's over in Norristown is about the same. Dedicated bottle shops have prices that are a bit better than your average bar, but it's still taxed a lot, so it's not like going into a grocery store in another state and buying a six-pack of something good. Growler fills can be a good deal, though. And the silliest thing is that you're limited to 192 fluid ounces per transaction, which is almost, but not quite, 3 six-packs. They will actually make you purchase two sixers, complete the transaction, take them out to your car, and then return to buy a third.  Booze/wine is state-controlled, you can only buy it from state-run stores (called State Stores, appropriately enough), which generally have weak selections, aren't open on holidays, and most aren't open on Sundays. Yes, this is completely retarded, and we keep trying to change it, but the unions manage to keep it around, every time, making occasionally concessions (Like, it used to be that none of them were open on Sundays. Woooo, progress). This might be arcane, but we're by no means the only state with this three-tier bullshit, and there are other aspects of PA booze laws that really help out smaller brewers. For example, an InBev rep cannot walk into a bar and say "We'll pay you $X/month for Y feet of guaranteed shelf space." However screwed up it is, it has allowed Philly to turn into a monster beer town, and I'd rather put up with all this crap (and pay these prices) than be limited to 8% ABV beer or something really stupid like that. I do not know about good bottle shops or bars in Pittsburgh, and I don't think there are any Wegman's grocery stores out that way. Sorry. SUPER HASSLER posted:TX may be 3-tier, but at least you can go to a supermarket and buy a bottle of Chimay and enjoy TRUE FREEDOM. You can do that here too, now, at least if it's one of the new Wegman's or Whole Foods that has a bar in it. *Even* on Sunday. Phanatic fucked around with this message at 19:36 on Apr 5, 2012 |
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Apr 5, 2012 18:58
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deadwing posted:Hell yeah, one step closer to distribution in Florida. Unlimited access to 1554
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Apr 5, 2012 19:03
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TX may be 3-tier, but at least you can go to a supermarket and buy a bottle of Chimay and enjoy TRUE FREEDOM.  (Unless it's Sunday morning.)
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Apr 5, 2012 19:29
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Aren't all states 3-tier? Production->Distribution->Retail.
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Apr 5, 2012 19:36
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SUPER HASSLER posted:TX may be 3-tier, but at least you can go to a supermarket and buy a bottle of Chimay and enjoy TRUE FREEDOM. 3-tier  I hate being restricted in how much I can buy directly from a brewery. What a hosed up way to force the creation of an unnecessary industry.
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Apr 5, 2012 19:38
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FreelanceSocialist posted:Aren't all states 3-tier? Production->Distribution->Retail. Some states place restrictions of assorted heaviness on how much breweries can sell directly to consumers. In TX for example you can't, period, if you're defined as a "brewery" (as opposed to a "brewpub"). If you're a "brewpub," meanwhile, you can't distribute outside of the brewpub at all. This has led to things like breweries selling tokens at the door that just happen to be valid in the taproom inside, bars contract brewing out of state, etc. I think it's a testament to the sheer thirstiness of TX people that it works at all.
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Apr 5, 2012 19:53
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I opened a bottle of Brouwerij De Dochter van de Korenaar Finesse triple after dinner on Saturday and was pretty blown away. It's aromatically powerful, especially the baking spice components, with some apple/pear background. Flavor-wise it's REALLY assertive, but also very simple - not very finessed at all but I found it enjoyable. It's definitely on the sweet side, but as dessert with a bit of soft cheese it went very well. Aopeth posted:Also, agreeing with all the love for Jolly Pumpkin! I'm also happy to report from last night's experimentation that this year's Red Poppy was considerably better in-bottle than the sample I had on tap on release day. More sour, just a touch of lacto twang, and a start to the acetic character I loved so much in older bottles. It's not as good as the 2009 release and probably never will be, but in six months to a year it will be very, very good. e: Oh and here's a story of possible beer heresy. One of my friends had a bottle of 2009 Bourbon County Stout. We made ice cream floats with it using frozen custard from the best frozen custard store in Vegas. That float was loving *amazing*, but it got ten times better when we topped it off with a bit of Bruery's Filmishmish. It kind of blew away any other beer float I've ever had (and I've had quite a few). I tried both the BCS and Filmishmish on their own as well. Filmishmish might be my favorite Bruery product to date - super sour, with enough apricot flavor it almost seemed jam-like. It was totally refreshing, both on its own and mixed in with BCS. The BCS was perfect and I kind of want more that old so I can do more wonderfully evil things with it. Or just drink it; that could work too. bartolimu fucked around with this message at 20:12 on Apr 5, 2012 |
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Apr 5, 2012 20:06
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bartolimu posted:I got to try Madrugada Obscura on tap last night god drat was it great. Way more sour than the fresh bottles, and as it warmed coffee and (unexpected) vanilla notes added a lot of complexity. I live out in the desert, so if I want to get good beer on tap I have to drive at least two hours. I am (choose a color) with envy, though, because that sounds amazing! I have not yet had their Madrugada Obscura, but I loved Clutch from New Belgium, so I will be certain to seek this out.
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Apr 5, 2012 20:17
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Just remembered this - one of the managers mentioned the Cicerone program (Like Sommelier, but for beer). Anyone heard of it before? I might try to get them to swing the expenses for it if it is worth pursuing.
FreelanceSocialist fucked around with this message at 20:47 on Apr 5, 2012 |
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Apr 5, 2012 20:23
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FreelanceSocialist posted:Just remembered this - one of the managers mentioned the Cicerone program (Like Sommelier, but for beer). Anyone heard of it before? I might try to get them to swing the expenses for it if it is worth pursuing. It is still a pretty meaningless certification at this point, but if you can get one for free, by all means, you should. I don't have one myself but my understanding is that while it definitely touches on history, craft and technique involved in making beer, it is very focused on serving beer, so it is probably most applicable for a restaurant environment. Beer is just at that point where it is breaking into the mainstream and restaurants in larger cities are really beginning to recognize this and put more thought into their tap lists. I could see a cert like this coming in handy if you see yourself still being into beer and wanting to be a distributor, buyer, or true restaurant cicerone 5 years from now.
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Apr 5, 2012 20:46
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crazyfish posted:Speaking of Russian River, sometime in August I'm going to be driving through Pennsylvania and I was wondering what Russian River brews are available at the beer distributors there. I know they generally don't carry the full lineup, but can I get Pliny? The sours? I don't think I've ever seen Pliny in Pittsburgh, but I generally don't look too hard for beer since it's such a pain in the rear end to buy here. I think your best bet is going to be D's Six Pack and Dogz in Regent Square, or maybe the Giant Eagle in Settler's Ridge which, last time I was there, had a cafe area that was technically a bar so you can buy beer (carefully roped off from the rest of the store to prevent any beer cross-contamination). Like Phanatic said, though, you'll be paying slightly discounted bar prices, so don't expect to get a good deal.
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Apr 5, 2012 20:49
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Pliny isn't sold on the east coast.
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Apr 5, 2012 21:01
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Well that explains why I've never seen it here, then.
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Apr 5, 2012 21:08
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I Dont Like You posted:Pliny isn't sold on the east coast. Sure it is. Just not in bottles. We get Elder on draft in Philly not constantly, but with some regularity, and we get Younger on rare occasions.
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Apr 5, 2012 21:54
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