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Mahoning posted:Thanks for all the suggestions so far. For reference I'm in Ohio, and we get a lot of the stuff that has been mentioned already like Founders, Bell's, etc. I don't foresee a ton in Michigan that I can't get in Ohio, but then again Ohio does have this dumb upper limit on ABV in beer so anything over 12% I can't get (and good lord I'm not sure how much I would want something with an ABV above that). If you're feeling quirky you can try some stuff from Shorts, but I don't think I've had anything from them I actually like. They just experiment a lot. I've heard nothing but great things about Brewery Vivant, who are supposedly expanding to be able to distribute in Chicago. In NC you should also be able to find stuff from Williamsburg Alewerks. Their BA'd stuff is excellent, and from friends, I've heard they're generally really good.
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May 23, 2012 21:06
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James Bont posted:120 minute IPA- dammit, what the gently caress? There's no way it's 18% when it's so drat sweet. It's just a barleywine, and not even a very good one. I must be in the minority with 120 here. I think it's exactly what it's trying to be: an attempt to make an IIIIIIPA or something. Booze = sweet. And that's what it is. On the opposite spectrum, Black Tuesday was probably the most disappointing beer I've ever had. The one I tried had a year of age on it, but basically tasted like someone brewed a mediocre high-alcohol imperial stout and then just dropped a couple shots of whiskey in it. Gross, and this is coming from someone who adores great BA'd beers. This isn't one, in my opinion. Not even close.
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May 23, 2012 21:12
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Also, it's not Surly, Alchemist makes Heady Topper 
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May 23, 2012 21:17
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Can someone tell me which beers age well and which ones do not? Because sometimes I am reluctant to purchase a beer because I notice it has passed its "sell by" date. Stouts and barleywines age well, correct? IPAs not so much? Could you give me a brief overview of which beers age well and which do not? I once had a super-old Nostradamus brown ale and it was the worst thing I've ever tasted, and I know that is a solid brew.
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May 23, 2012 21:48
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James Bont posted:
Which one was it?
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May 23, 2012 21:50
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escape artist posted:Can someone tell me which beers age well and which ones do not? This was discussed very recently, again: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3470054&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=73#post403750479
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May 23, 2012 21:52
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escape artist posted:Can someone tell me which beers age well and which ones do not? EDIT: Not the fastest person here.
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May 23, 2012 21:53
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escape artist posted:Can someone tell me which beers age well and which ones do not? High abv? Yes Dark, thicker beers (which frequently mean the above but not always)? Yes Anything that's already been aged before it goes into a bottle? Yes Anything that relies on a lighter grain bill, has a sub-8ish abv (there's exceptions but I like to use that as a rule), or is a hop-forward beer above all else, should be consumed quickly. I've also read some brewers say that they make their beer to be consumed immediately, regardless of any of the aging qualifiers. The takeaway from that is that it's likely the flavors will change over time, and it helps the drinker understand flavor evolution as a beer ages, whether they even like aged beers, or if a certain brewery's beers age well at all.
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May 23, 2012 21:54
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I've had Nugget Nectar 9 months out and it was still delicious. Of course it's made to be consumed immediately, but you don't need to freak out if a hop forward beer has a few months on it.
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May 23, 2012 22:07
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air- posted:Also, it's not Surly, Alchemist makes Heady Topper My mistake, I guess I was misinformed about who brews it. Neither brewery distributes here as far as I know so I'm not too familiar with their lineups. Still pretty drat tasty.
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May 23, 2012 22:46
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Thanks a lot guys. I'm about to go to Total Wine and pick up some new stuff, and that information really helps. I'll be back soon and inform you of my wares! I'm thinking of trying a sour for the first time. edit: Actually, I'll be going to ABC so my selection will be much more limited. escape artist fucked around with this message at 23:14 on May 23, 2012 |
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May 23, 2012 23:06
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I had two Berkshire Brewing Co Lost Sailor IPAs with lunch today. Anyone in their distribution should try that beer, especially if you're able to get it fresh and on draft. It's just a really good, perfectly balanced beer. It's not trying to stand out and, to me, that's why it does. It's good living near BBC.
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May 23, 2012 23:14
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Wamsutta posted:I had two Berkshire Brewing Co Lost Sailor IPAs with lunch today. Anyone in their distribution should try that beer, especially if you're able to get it fresh and on draft. It's just a really good, perfectly balanced beer. It's not trying to stand out and, to me, that's why it does. It's good living near BBC. Nice! Haven't tried that one yet, guess I know what I'm buying tonight. BBC's coffee porter and RIS are two of the best I've had, highly suggest those.
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May 23, 2012 23:21
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wattershed posted:High abv? Yes You forgot sours (or anything with brett in it that isn't hop-forward, really), though that can technically fall under anything already aged before it goes in the bottle.
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May 23, 2012 23:27
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What are your folks' attitudes on adjunct brewing? Was having a discussion about Churchkey pilsner and there was a remark made to the effect of "if I wanted adjunct beer, I'd drink a Pabst." Interesting because Churchkey is an all-malt craft beer. I implied there may be some expectation issues with their judgement of the style, and was informed by the same guy that Fort George 1811 is a preferred craft lager. Interesting because it IS an adjunct lager. Seems like a silly thing to make a line in the sand for, to me. I've used rice as adjunct in a couple homebrews, and I definitely enjoy corn and non-corn beer, as long as it tastes like beer.
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May 23, 2012 23:33
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clutchpuck posted:What are your folks' attitudes on adjunct brewing? "Pliny the Elder uses corn syrup. Bam you are dumb."
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May 23, 2012 23:34
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Alternatively, "Who cares who makes it and what's in it as long as it tastes good?"
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May 23, 2012 23:36
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clutchpuck posted:What are your folks' attitudes on adjunct brewing? Many, many German breweries were basically cheating the Reinheitsgebot through various means even when it was on the books. What is actually in beer is totally irrelevant as long as it tastes good. The fact that you *can* cut costs by adding adjuncts doesn't mean anything about whether adjunct products are inherently bad in beer.
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May 23, 2012 23:50
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There really needs to be a better term since half of the Belgian beers I can think of have adjuncts and are nowhere near Pabst. Not making a value judgement, just an observation. Pabst owns. Give me a Pabst.
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May 23, 2012 23:55
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RobBorer posted:Alternatively, This, period. Hope that guy doesn't like drinking pretty much any Trappist beer ever and many English ones, since they're all cut with simple sugar to dry them out. Or those terrible, bland lambics with their  unmalted wheat adjuncts That's the kind of beer snob who knows just enough to be dangerous. Edit: Unrelated, oh god another local bar is tapping Parabola and Pliny the Elder tonight. And all beers are $1 off. Supposed to be dieting, but sweet sweet PtE beckons... Docjowles fucked around with this message at 23:59 on May 23, 2012 |
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May 23, 2012 23:56
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Mahoning posted:I think NC has more stuff that I can't get than Michigan, so keep em comin' if anyone else has suggestions. okay, i'll do my part: NC- Olde Hickory is kind of hit-and-miss, but their big stouts are good. Duck Rabbit schwarz, doppelbock, milk stout, and baltic porter are all very good- Rabid Duck has a good reputation, but the only time that it's made it to VA recently was a bad batch. Foothills, Green Man, Mother Earth, Pisgah, Wedge, and the unfortunately-named rear end Clown are also worthy of attention, depending on where you are (a few are brewpubs). some publication named Asheville beer city USA or something; it has a high concentration of places to check out if you're not going to have a lot of time to travel around beer hunting. for non-NC breweries, whoever said Williamsburg Alewerks is correct, although you might not find any of their good stuff at that point- the year-round beers are hardly worth seeking out, but the bourbon barrel porter is a fantastic summer release (that will likely disappear quickly). Blue Mountain and Devil's Backbone probably make it down there, as well as Wolf Hills (draft-only). other good breweries that might be around and new to you are Terrapin, Flying Dog, Heavy Seas, Troegs, Weyerbacher, COAST, and Westbrook (the last two are from SC and have limited distribution, but make some good/highly sought-after beers).
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May 24, 2012 00:03
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Manky posted:Victory Summer Love is such an amazing beer, I'd buy a case if I could. We bought a crappy little wal-mart grill to celebrate this past graduation weekend, it's just the most perfect beer to sip on while you're flipping burgers. I also finally got to try that Saison du Buff on tap, I see why people were making a ruckus over it - very tasty. Agreeing with the Summer Love love! It's my favorite Summer seasonal, with Brooklyn Brewery's a second. As for writing notes of beers I drink, I carry a pocket notebook and also put my ratings on Ratebeer. bartolimu posted:I realized I never wrote anything about that Stone Domination thing last Friday. It was pretty cool. Greg Koch was there; he's sporting an enormous hobo beard these days, left early drunk as hell with an attractive woman on his arm. The guy's clearly loving life. I also went to a Total Wine today and picked up a Harpoon Quad and a Victory Otto Aged in Bourbon Barrels. I didn't even know this existed so I'm anxious to try it out. The first time I had Otto fresh it was like smoked ribs liquefied, the second time I had it a few months later the smoke presence was near 0. I wonder how this will be. Before I forget, I'm road tripping to Ohio in June to see Modest Mouse at the LC Pavilion, we're going to get there a few hours before the show but I wanted to know what are some local brews/shops I should look out for?
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May 24, 2012 00:08
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Mahoning posted:I'm going to Michigan next month, then North Carolina in July. Can anyone throw out some good beers that are available in either state that might not be available in other places? I want to start making a list. Shorts and Brewery Vivant. A lot of people seem to hate on Shorts but I think their Huma Lupa Licious is good, along with Soft Parade. Their Anniversary Ale is phenomenal, it's my favorite from them (you might be able to find it, it's limited but still on the shelves).
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May 24, 2012 00:25
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clutchpuck posted:What are your folks' attitudes on adjunct brewing? Well, the signature of most dark Belgian styles is caramelized beet or date sugar so I'm going to vote yes on adjuncts. Hell, almost all light Belgian styles use straight up sucrose to dry them out.
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May 24, 2012 00:27
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I dropped $45 at Total Wine.... Didn't mean to spend that much. a 4-pack of Oskar Blues GUBNA a 6-pack of Oskar Blues DPA One small bottle of Victory Storm King One small bottle of Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stat One can of Witterkerke A bomber of Rogue's Voodoo Maple Bacon Doughnut...... *sigh* I have to try it!
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May 24, 2012 01:02
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escape artist posted:A bomber of Rogue's Voodoo Maple Bacon Doughnut...... *sigh* I have to try it! Find me another brewery that has made as much money off the "This looks awful! I have to buy it!" attitude than Rogue has made off this poo poo...
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May 24, 2012 01:03
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danbanana posted:Find me another brewery that has made as much money off the "This looks awful! I have to buy it!" attitude than Rogue has made off this poo poo... um, Dogfish Head?
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May 24, 2012 01:09
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funkybottoms posted:um, Dogfish Head? Not this again.
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May 24, 2012 01:12
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funkybottoms posted:um, Dogfish Head? I don't think it's the same thing, though I agree that I learned long ago not to spend much money on their weirder stuff. But some people actually like those, or at least pretend to. VMBD is almost purposefully bad, and every reaction I've heard to it concurs. It's like they're playing a joke on how far they can string along their customer base, and for whatever reason, it keeps working.
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May 24, 2012 01:15
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BerkerkLurk posted:There really needs to be a better term since half of the Belgian beers I can think of have adjuncts and are nowhere near Pabst. Not making a value judgement, just an observation. Pabst owns. Give me a Pabst. It's such a staple of the style that you rarely even hear about it with respect to Belgian ales.
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May 24, 2012 01:22
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I forget, who did the Miles Davis tribute Bitches Brew. That was really good. DFH has a whole bunch of terrible beers, but they do have some solid ones as well. Although, I haven't bought a DFH beer since the Bitches Brew. I know the Maple Doughnut is going to suck, but I don't think it will be the worst beer I've ever tried... I'm not even a fan of Rogue, except for that dry-hopped red ale.
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May 24, 2012 01:23
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escape artist posted:I forget, who did the Miles Davis tribute Bitches Brew. That was really good. I'm confused, because you first ask who made Bitches Brew, then you acknowledge that it was DFH. I really liked Bitches Brew though, actually I really liked Hellhound and the Pearl Jam beer as well. Ta Henket is really the only recent beer of theirs I didn't like.
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May 24, 2012 01:32
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danbanana posted:Find me another brewery that has made as much money off the "This looks awful! I have to buy it!" attitude than Rogue has made off this poo poo... Not a brewery but Jones Soda does fairly well with their oddball Thanksgiving sodas.
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May 24, 2012 01:41
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Mahoning posted:Thanks for all the suggestions so far. For reference I'm in Ohio, and we get a lot of the stuff that has been mentioned already like Founders, Bell's, etc. I don't foresee a ton in Michigan that I can't get in Ohio, but then again Ohio does have this dumb upper limit on ABV in beer so anything over 12% I can't get (and good lord I'm not sure how much I would want something with an ABV above that). Go to the Ann Arbor Jolly Pumpkin brewpub and make me jealous. --- I had my first Firestone Walker beer this weekend (Union Jack) and was absolutely blown away. Regarding the brewer, where should I go from here, assuming I can find it in the area? Also, I have to echo the Summer Love, er, love. It makes me want to buy a grill and lawn furniture and maybe get some sort of net that a ball can be lobbed over by happy people in shorts, just because sitting indoors while drinking it feels like I'm doing it wrong.
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May 24, 2012 02:02
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Midorka posted:I'm confused, because you first ask who made Bitches Brew, then you acknowledge that it was DFH. I really liked Bitches Brew though, actually I really liked Hellhound and the Pearl Jam beer as well. Ta Henket is really the only recent beer of theirs I didn't like. I looked it up before I finished the post and forgot to erase that question. Things of theirs that I thought were atrocious: Black and Blue, Fort, Theobroma, 120 Minute, ApriHop, Festina Peche, My Antonia, Palo Santo Marron Drinkable: Indian Brown, Raison D'Etre, 60 and 90 Minute Good: Immort Ale, Bitches Brew, Squall IPA, Burton Baton Midas Touch is okay but I'm not sure i even consider that a beer. I gave up on the rest of the stuff when I realized how much I was spending on beers that I didn't even like. escape artist fucked around with this message at 02:10 on May 24, 2012 |
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May 24, 2012 02:07
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mysterious frankie posted:Go to the Ann Arbor Jolly Pumpkin brewpub and make me jealous. Get the fire and smoke pizza, so goddamn delicious. Speaking of JP, any Michigoons get a hold of the Jolly Pumpkin/Plum Market 'collaboration' beer today? I think I saw Corbet in line at the Ann Arbor store... Was going to Jolly Pumpkin tonight to have it on tap but ended up not being able to make it. What few reviews I've read describe it as not very plummy and thinner-bodied than Bam Biere.
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May 24, 2012 02:10
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I drank Sam Adams Sahti and Gose the last couple nights, and I'm pretty disappointed in both. I guess I was hoping for something much more unusual, but the Gose was pretty straight forward and the Sahti was basically just a scotch ale. They weren't bad by any means, I think I just went in hoping to get weird and was sad to see they were pretty approachable, normal beers.
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May 24, 2012 02:16
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Corbet posted:Not a brewery but Jones Soda does fairly well with their oddball Thanksgiving sodas. I usually buy these, but I haven't drank them. One year I will and I know they will be grossly satisfying. escape artist posted:Things of theirs that I thought were atrocious: Black and Blue, Fort, Theobroma, 120 Minute, ApriHop, Festina Peche, My Antonia, Palo Santo Marron A lot of Dogfish Head's "odd" beers like Theobroma have come a long way since they were first conceived, that or my tastebuds have changed a lot.
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May 24, 2012 02:19
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funkybottoms posted:and the unfortunately-named rear end Clown are also worthy of attention Haha, and I don't think that's the only unfortunately-named NC brewery. There's one called French Broad, right? Had any of their beer?
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May 24, 2012 02:22
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escape artist posted:
You take that back, My Antonia is delicious  It's definitely one of their "safer" beers so I don't understand how you can think it's atrocious.
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May 24, 2012 02:26
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