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mysterious frankie posted:I see both Hoptimum and Palate Wrecker in the Andersonville store I go to a lot. I would almost say it'd be worth it to bite the bullet and to a back-to-back taste test, but I'm guessing my palate would be too mangled by whatever I drank first to reliably judge the second. The one kitty corner from Hopleaf? That's one of my favorite little stores in the city. Great selection for a relatively small place, and they have a lot of good liquor too. I stop by there pretty regularly these days, since I have a few friends who live within a few blocks of it. And yeah, the Half Acre tours are indeed The poo poo. They're super-generous and awesome people to talk with. Man, I'll be happy to live on the north side again. Hyde Park doesn't have poo poo. 
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May 2, 2012 23:49
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Ubik posted:The one kitty corner from Hopleaf? That's one of my favorite little stores in the city. Great selection for a relatively small place, and they have a lot of good liquor too. I stop by there pretty regularly these days, since I have a few friends who live within a few blocks of it. Yeah, that's the one! Amazing selection at Andersonville, moreso now than ever. I think they upped their beer stock to compete with Hollywood Liquor, which rebranded itself as a craft-centric liquor store recently. They've always had an impressive wine and whiskey selection,but I'll be goddamned if they haven't gotten right on top of their beer offerings in the last two months. The back room used to be just for excess stock, but now it's mostly unique beers they can't fit in the coolers. S'where I found that cache of Cantillon, s'matter of fact, so keep an eye peeled. Hollywood is the real disappointment these days. At first, they were rotating their stock regularly, sending out newletters and creating this awesome community atmosphere, but have steadily lost steam since beginning of March. I'm hoping they pick it back up again, but I dunno. I'm wondering if it's just sales, because the location is kind of tucked away; not really conducive to selling $15 four packs. I'm moving to the tri-taylor area this Saturday and the only thing I'll miss the most is being so close to where the (beer) action is. Looks like me and the number 8 bus are gonna be getting to know each other a lot more in the near future...
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May 3, 2012 00:21
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mysterious frankie posted:I'm moving to the tri-taylor area this Saturday and the only thing I'll miss the most is being so close to where the (beer) action is. Looks like me and the number 8 bus are gonna be getting to know each other a lot more in the near future... You at least have Three Aces on Taylor Street, which is a nice bar and restaurant with a really solid tap and bottle selection. And they get cheese from the purveyor I used to work for.  You also have the Binny's right across the expressway, which may not be as amazing as the one across from Goose Island Clybourn but should still have a solid beer department.
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May 3, 2012 00:36
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I need to make it to Andersonville more often. I've actually only been to Hopleaf once! And isn't Hamburger Mary's there too? Its hard to motivate oneself to go far for a good beer when The Map Room is 1 block away haha. Speaking of Chicago bars, did you guys hear Small Bar Fullerton was sold to the Beer Bistro? Do you know anything about the Beer Bistro? I know nothing about it.
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May 3, 2012 01:11
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Ubik posted:You at least have Three Aces on Taylor Street, which is a nice bar and restaurant with a really solid tap and bottle selection. And they get cheese from the purveyor I used to work for. I hear a lot about Three Aces and I think it's about a 15 minute walk from the new place! Didn't realize it was so close until now. --- Tried a Wychwood Hobgoblin on tap last weekend and was pretty happy with it. I sort of wish it had been a little thicker/creamier in the mouthfeel, but really fun anyways. Lots of buttery dactyls and caramel. I think if it hadn't been so thin it'd be my goto esb when available.
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May 3, 2012 01:38
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Noticed some bottles of Mongo IPA on the shelf tonight, was pretty stoked. Checked the bottling date: July 2011 Why yes, I'd love an almost year-old IPA! It was refrigerated, at least, but still that can't taste remotely good. Although when I have more time I am totally going back to hunt for ancient barleywines and imperial stouts. Edit: I don't think my town gets much of it in general. Now that I think of it, I've seen it recently at a very high turnover store and even there it was from like January. Docjowles fucked around with this message at 03:11 on May 3, 2012 |
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May 3, 2012 02:57
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Kudosx posted:I think the biggest problem with Hoptimum is that it is a hop bomb. There's a *lot* of people who don't like IPAs, but still like to try every single one they can get their hands on. They'll hand out low ratings for something being a hop bomb, even if it's advertised as one. It's hoppy as hell, but it seems less aggressive to me than something like Arrogant Bastard (which starts to run out of appeal to me about 2/3s of the way through a glass). I guess there are just people who hate hops. Not getting as much citrus out of this as I get out of Mikkeler's I Beat U, but I'm not spending $.50 an ounce for it either. Hoptimum is a winner.
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May 3, 2012 03:05
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ChiTownEddie posted:And isn't Hamburger Mary's there too? The beer at Hamburger Mary's ranges from okay/decent to actively awful. Nothing there has impressed me much so far, other than the fact that the guy is basically large-scale homebrewing for a bar and burger joint, which is pretty cool.
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May 3, 2012 03:09
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Ubik posted:The beer at Hamburger Mary's ranges from okay/decent to actively awful. Nothing there has impressed me much so far, other than the fact that the guy is basically large-scale homebrewing for a bar and burger joint, which is pretty cool. The house-brewed Firkin down a ways at Edgewater Lounge was always decent, if memory serves. Haven't been since they were shut down and reopened, so I dunno if that's still a thing. Plus, the atmosphere is a billion times better (read, dark and unpretentiously divey with good music almost always playing) than Mary's. Seriously, that's basically one of the two best fall hangouts in Andersonville/Edgewater. All dark and cozy in the back with the fire going, people chatting or playing board games, backdoor open and leaves blowing outside, some Robert Pollard playing on the radio and a nice beer.
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May 3, 2012 03:34
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Tonight I had a Victory Saison du Buff and a North Coast Brother Thelonious. Victory's take on du Buff was very herbal - coriander and rosemary were strong. Light hops kept it dry, but diminished as it warmed. Overall a good an interesting beer, and I look forward to trying the other two versions. Brother Thelonious is very tasty just a few sips in. Has a sweet aroma that reminds me of their barleywine, which I aged and drank last year with great success. It's a Belgian dark, aroma/taste of mellow, dark malts, pipe tobacco, alcohol. Very decadent, if a bit sweet for the style. Definitely something that could taste even better after a couple year in storage.
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May 3, 2012 03:41
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Just a warning for those who may see 16 Mile in stores, they're nothing but a mediocre brewery who has the tenacity to charge $10 a 6 pack.
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May 3, 2012 03:46
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Midorka posted:Just a warning for those who may see 16 Mile in stores, they're nothing but a mediocre brewery who has the tenacity to charge $10 a 6 pack. I'm about 6 miles from their brewery, and that's pretty much the consensus around here as well. I'd put pretty much every delaware/coastal maryland brewery above them. Didn't realize they were getting distribution out of state.
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May 3, 2012 04:35
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cryme posted:I'm about 6 miles from their brewery, and that's pretty much the consensus around here as well. I'd put pretty much every delaware/coastal maryland brewery above them. Didn't realize they were getting distribution out of state. I'm in South Jersey and they recently came here, with not much talk about them. If their beers were priced at $8 a 6 pack it would be fair, but they are definitely going to go bankrupt if they don't do something soon. I can't see how they can sustain a business with mediocre beers far overpriced in an already saturated market.
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May 3, 2012 04:44
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Midorka posted:I'm in South Jersey and they recently came here, with not much talk about them. If their beers were priced at $8 a 6 pack it would be fair, but they are definitely going to go bankrupt if they don't do something soon. I can't see how they can sustain a business with mediocre beers far overpriced in an already saturated market. They're pretty popular around here with locals that don't typically do craft. They'll probably always have that niche, but I don't know that it's going to do much for them outside of delaware.
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May 3, 2012 05:00
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Just got back from a monster tasting - had a great time. Ate some dinner and drank some water and settled in for an onslaught of Avery. Anniversary vertical from 14th through 18th. Could've stopped there, but no. Mephistopheles '09 through '11. And then Samaels '08 through '11. And then Beast Grand Cru '08 through '11. At that point, having had 5oz pours of eleven beers (not including the great spread of anniversary brews) weighing in between 14% and 16%, I had to call it a night. I think the other guys are breaking into some Founders Nemesis at the moment. I am going to go chug a bottle of water, take a multivitamin, and crash. FreelanceSocialist fucked around with this message at 05:25 on May 3, 2012 |
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May 3, 2012 05:23
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The fact that I can still find Hoptimum on the shelf at the price of $8.99 is just loving dumb. I shouldn't be able to and I'm going to buy 2 four packs tomorrow because this is my new favorite IIPA in the world. I put this above any other IIPA I've had, except maybe Abrasive or Double Jack. This beer is proof that if you aren't hard to get and severely hyped that you'll get only good ratings (as opposed to amazing ratings) and it won't be bought by the case. The fact that this is sitting on the shelf and beers like Hopslam are bought by the case have me scratching my head. Oh well, more for me and I'm loving grateful for that, that and lots of Bigfoot still on the shelf will have me happy this Winter.
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May 3, 2012 05:35
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We're sitting on twelve cases of Hoptimum at the moment, and it makes me sad. I'm about halfway through the case that I took home.
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May 3, 2012 05:37
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Your ability to form coherent posts after that is drat impressive.
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May 3, 2012 05:38
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Midorka posted:The fact that I can still find Hoptimum on the shelf at the price of $8.99 is just loving dumb. I shouldn't be able to and I'm going to buy 2 four packs tomorrow because this is my new favorite IIPA in the world. I put this above any other IIPA I've had, except maybe Abrasive or Double Jack. This beer is proof that if you aren't hard to get and severely hyped that you'll get only good ratings (as opposed to amazing ratings) and it won't be bought by the case. The fact that this is sitting on the shelf and beers like Hopslam are bought by the case have me scratching my head. Oh well, more for me and I'm loving grateful for that, that and lots of Bigfoot still on the shelf will have me happy this Winter. Hoptimum isn't a one-time release, they're brewing it for the next few months until they start brewing an Imperial Stout in late fall-ish to release as their 4-pack SKU, then they'll throw out Bigfoot in the four-packs, then Hoptimum again. Like a circle of life, but with beers. And yes, it's loving delicious and I'm glad it'll be around for the next few months.
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May 3, 2012 05:38
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Docjowles posted:Your ability to form coherent posts after that is drat impressive. It takes some time to type them out but I know that if I fall asleep now, the hangover will be waiting for me. Trying to rehydrate.
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May 3, 2012 05:39
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FreelanceSocialist posted:We're sitting on twelve cases of Hoptimum at the moment, and it makes me sad. I'm about halfway through the case that I took home. I'm contemplating investing into a case but I don't know if I'll be able to go through it fast enough, I know I'd be drat near close though. deadwing posted:Hoptimum isn't a one-time release, they're brewing it for the next few months until they start brewing an Imperial Stout in late fall-ish to release as their 4-pack SKU, then they'll throw out Bigfoot in the four-packs, then Hoptimum again. Like a circle of life, but with beers. Almost no IIPA that's overly hyped is a one-time release (Pliny, Hopslam, etc) Bigfoot is in 6 packs though, not 4 packs, hell I can find Pliny on tap at least once a month in Philly, yet people go loving apeshit for it, but neglect Hoptimum because of hype.
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May 3, 2012 05:45
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Midorka posted:Almost no IIPA that's overly hyped is a one-time release (Pliny, Hopslam, etc) Bigfoot is in 6 packs though, not 4 packs, hell I can find Pliny on tap at least once a month in Philly, yet people go loving apeshit for it, but neglect Hoptimum because of hype. Hopslam is once a year, which is what I was insinuating. The once a year, one/limited batch thing is a massive contributor to hype. The whole "get it now or you won't get it this year" thing, you know? And Bigfoot will be in four packs next year.
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May 3, 2012 05:47
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deadwing posted:Hopslam is once a year, which is what I was insinuating. The once a year, one/limited batch thing is a massive contributor to hype. The whole "get it now or you won't get it this year" thing, you know? Bigfoot will be in four packs? Well I guess I'll buy a 6 pack now, along with 2 Hoptimums and age the 6 Bigfoot. I get what you're saying about Hopslam, but I'm sick of the rarity/availability of a beer determining ratings. Hoptimum is up there with the best IIPAs in the world and it's sad to see it below many "inferior" ones that are harder to obtain. I should probably stop my drunk rant.
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May 3, 2012 05:54
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Hoptimum is also relatively newer, word will spread eventually. Also, since it was mentioned, boy am I glad Milwaukee seemed to be flooded with Hopslam this season. Always was weird to me that people in Bell's markets had trouble getting anyway, whereas it seemed to be everywhere up until a few weeks ago.
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May 3, 2012 06:41
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I Dont Like You posted:Also, since it was mentioned, boy am I glad Milwaukee seemed to be flooded with Hopslam this season. Always was weird to me that people in Bell's markets had trouble getting anyway, whereas it seemed to be everywhere up until a few weeks ago. I think it's mostly when the first batch ships. They seem to make a complete rear end-ton of Hopslam, so anything after the first shipment is usually pretty easy to get a hold of. A big problem with the first batch is that they make so much, that most stores don't have a limit on how much anyone can buy... so a store might get in 20 cases, but 15 people will come in and buy a case each... leaving only (20) 6 packs for us folks who don't buy cases.
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May 3, 2012 10:36
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FreelanceSocialist posted:advices All very good advice. I've actually never recommended something to someone that I didn't know at the store. Especially if they are getting Blue Moon. I don't want to be responsible for them getting something that I'd enjoy and they won't even be able to finish a bottle of. I have however got a few of my friends into drinking a wide range of beers but that's quite a bit easier than telling some random person what to drink. I was kinda just ranting, but the point is I'd rather have consumers drinking great craft beer, and have the choice be between an Old Rasputin or a Stone IRS, as opposed to sticking to Blue Moon every time. Midorka posted:I get what you're saying about Hopslam, but I'm sick of the rarity/availability of a beer determining ratings. Hoptimum is up there with the best IIPAs in the world and it's sad to see it below many "inferior" ones that are harder to obtain. This is how I feel about Torpedo as well. It's probably one of my favorite IPAs in general, especially for the price. But when I try to tell my friends that they say yea but you can get Pliny or Alesmith, etc. I feel like there is something to be said about being able to pick up a 12 pack at Safeway and have it be an awesome beer. Also, I've never tried Hopslam, but I'm worried that it's going to be overhyped. I don't know if this really makes sense, but I wonder if Hopslam's rave reviews are because there just aren't as many outstanding IPAs in that area. The competition for California IPAs has to be greater than the ones surrounding Hopslam. Gristley Bear fucked around with this message at 11:00 on May 3, 2012 |
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May 3, 2012 10:54
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Gristley Bear posted:Also, I've never tried Hopslam, but I'm worried that it's going to be overhyped. I don't know if this really makes sense, but I wonder if Hopslam's rave reviews are because there just aren't as many outstanding IPAs in that area. The competition for California IPAs has to be greater than the ones surrounding Hopslam. I hate to disappoint, but there are just as many good IPAs/IIPAs in the midwest as there are on the west coast. There just isn't NEARLY as many people in as small of a geographical area as there is in California, so most of the beers don't get quite as much 'hype'. There might be a bit more competition in California because there's more breweries, but there's definitely just as good of IPAs over here. I've drank Pliny that was bottled within a week of when I opened it, and I can confidently say I've drank several IPAs/IIPAs from my area which I would consider to be just as good, including Hopslam. Then again, I wouldn't rate PtE as my favorite IIPA, I think I'd have to give that title to 3F Dreadnaught. We don't have that many crazy good IIPAs in my home state (OH), but we definitely have some that I would put pretty close to being top tier. We do, however, have some insanely good IPAs, and I can confidently say they could go toe-to-toe with any IPA produced anywhere. Fat Head's Head Hunter IPA, and The Brew Kettle's White Rajah are both world class IPAs. I think the biggest problem is that people trying Hopslam for the first time go in thinking "This better be the best beer ever, and live up to the hype", but when you put something up on a pedestal, it will rarely live up to its hype. Go in thinking that it could be like any other IIPA, and you might enjoy it more. I think that's why I might not have enjoyed PtE as much as I could have... I was expecting my mind to be blown, but in reality, there are several other IIPAs I've tried which are just as good. Sorry for the long post, I hope I don't seem like some type of midwest/east coast elitist, I just think we have an equal amount of good beer.
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May 3, 2012 11:26
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drat you for bringing up 3F and Fat Head. It's probably going to be a long time until I get to try anything from either of those breweries. I only say that Hopslam seems to be over-hyped due to the frequency at which it is brought up. The first time I had Pliny it didn't really blow my mind. I will say that it is a drat near perfect IIPA, but it definitely isn't the end all be all, even if it is one of my top 5 or so. There's been times that I've passed up a PtE for an Alesmith or even a Sierra Nevada Harvest simply because I was in the mood for those beers. A beer that did blow my mind, but seems to have very little buzz, is Moylan's Hopsickle. I can't speak for any of their other brews, but that is definitely one of my favorite IIPAs.
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May 3, 2012 11:48
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Kudosx posted:Sorry for the long post, I hope I don't seem like some type of midwest/east coast elitist, I just think we have an equal amount of good beer. No need to apologize, sir. You did a wonderful job defending the Midwest. For what it's worth, there are at least 6 Midwest IIPAs that I think are better than the west coast's supposed best (Pliny). And overall, I'll take FFF, Founders, GI, and Bell's over any other breweries in the U.S. gently caress yeah, Midwest!
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May 3, 2012 12:33
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Had a Pretty Things Beer & Ale Baby Tree quad last night and I've come to the conclusion that I love quadrupels, but I don't want to have to finish an entire bomber myself every time I want one. Anyone know of any good quads that are available in 12 oz bottles? Got through the Baby Tree without any complaints though. Much easier to drink than Smuttynose's Gravitation, which I also picked up recently. Bonus: I found a completely pristine Duvel snifter yesterday afternoon at Savers. Has to be the best $1 I've spent in a while.
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May 3, 2012 13:46
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One of the problems with "hype" and rarity on the rating sites is how it inflates the scores for an entire style. In the DIPA and Imperial Stout categories, pretty much any beer scores an automatic 75+ overall. This means almost all of the beers from one style are in the top 25% overall, even if they're in the bottom 10% of their own style. I've definitely looked up beers that were rated something like 25/100 in their style, but 90/100 overall. At that point the rating becomes more of a statistic than useful information to guide my purchases.Docjowles posted:Your ability to form coherent posts after that is drat impressive. I'm pretty sure this tread would be gassed every other week if not for Firefox's automatic spell checking.
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May 3, 2012 13:52
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Quiet Feet posted:Had a Pretty Things Beer & Ale Baby Tree quad last night and I've come to the conclusion that I love quadrupels, but I don't want to have to finish an entire bomber myself every time I want one. Anyone know of any good quads that are available in 12 oz bottles? Got through the Baby Tree without any complaints though. Much easier to drink than Smuttynose's Gravitation, which I also picked up recently. Both Trappist Rochefort 10, and St. Bernardus Abt. 12 come in bottles smaller than 12 oz (I don't remember exactly how big they are, I wanna say 10.8 oz or something). They're both very highly rated quads, and I think they're worth checking out! I tried Rochefort 10 recently and it was absolutely phenomenal.
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May 3, 2012 13:53
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Quiet Feet posted:Had a Pretty Things Beer & Ale Baby Tree quad last night and I've come to the conclusion that I love quadrupels, but I don't want to have to finish an entire bomber myself every time I want one. Anyone know of any good quads that are available in 12 oz bottles? gonna assume you're in New England, so you shouldn't have a problem finding Ommegang's Three Philosophers. think i saw somewhere (here?) that Allagash might start putting Four in 12oz bottles. for those of you familiar with Duck Rabbit, is Rabid Duck supposed to taste like a mouthful of bitter, astringent char?
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May 3, 2012 14:17
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Editing to avoid double posting.Mahoning posted:Yeah I wasn't really expecting any sort of Dark Lord Day type madness. Is it good/fun enough for two beer nerds and their ladies to enjoy on a Saturday afternoon? I guess? Your experience might be much different from mine. I'm from Grand Rapids originally so I go back all the time to do stuff, and have been to Founders a bunch. Going to Founder's Fest was sorta like just another trip to Founders, except it was outside, really hot, and packed with people. We got there when it started and maybe stayed 4-5 hours before leaving. CalvinDooglas posted:I'm pretty sure this tread would be gassed every other week if not for Firefox's automatic spell checking. heh ChiTownEddie posted:Thanks for the tips for a long the way, I may check out Dark Horse or Jolly Pumpkin. Are there any in the city of Detroit? Theres not much in the way of breweries in Detroit, but there are some good brewpubs and some excellent restaurants with good tap lists. I've never been but Foran's Grand Trunk is right downtown and I always hear good things about it. Slow's is a BBQ place with very good beer. I highly recommend them but if you are in a time crunch don't bother, any time of day you are looking at a 45min+ wait, though sometimes if its just me and a friend we get lucky with scoring a seat at the bar. Either way, it's worth it. Do not miss Jolly Pumpkin. Sirotan fucked around with this message at 14:43 on May 3, 2012 |
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May 3, 2012 14:26
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Kudosx posted:Both Trappist Rochefort 10, and St. Bernardus Abt. 12 come in bottles smaller than 12 oz (I don't remember exactly how big they are, I wanna say 10.8 oz or something). They're both very highly rated quads, and I think they're worth checking out! I tried Rochefort 10 recently and it was absolutely phenomenal. I'll also throw in Malheur 12, another fairly decent quad that I've been seeing more and more in the smaller bottles.
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May 3, 2012 14:58
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Quiet Feet posted:Bonus: I found a completely pristine Duvel snifter yesterday afternoon at Savers. Has to be the best $1 I've spent in a while.
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May 3, 2012 15:17
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Chicago Beer Goon checking in. I picked up a pack of Hoptimum I stumbled upon at my local Whole Foods, and was mad giddy to bring it home. I felt sorta bad when, after cracking the first one, saw a sticker marked "Save for __insertnamehere___." Sorry Whole Foods Hoptimum buddy  Good poo poo though.Speaking of Chicago beer(err, getting beer in Chicago, I know Avery is not Chicago native), anyone know where I can pick up Avery's Maharajah to bring home? I've only come across it in draft form at a couple of my local spots, Northdown Cafe and Four Moons tavern. Oh and Bangers and Lace. Quarterroys fucked around with this message at 15:33 on May 3, 2012 |
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May 3, 2012 15:26
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Cervixalot posted:Chicago Beer Goon checking in. I picked up a pack of Hoptimum I stumbled upon at my local Whole Foods, and was mad giddy to bring it home. I felt sorta bad when, after cracking the first one, saw a sticker marked "Save for __insertnamehere___." http://www.beermenus.com/beers/avery-maharaja should be a good starting point.
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May 3, 2012 15:34
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crazyfish posted:http://www.beermenus.com/beers/avery-maharaja should be a good starting point. Thanks much! I picked up a bomber of Half Acre's Red IPA- Ginger Twin Ale last night, and as one of my first forays into the style thought it was pretty tasty. I've heard recommendations for the Lagunitas Imperial Red, which i'll be on the lookout for, but any other brews I should check out of that style? I'm typically a hardcore IIPA fan, so I don't shy away from big beers or hops.
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May 3, 2012 15:48
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Cervixalot posted:Thanks much! Founders' Red Rye PA is my favorite of the style.
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May 3, 2012 16:18
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