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mysterious frankie posted:Drinking a Sam Adams Cherry Wheat and it tastes like it was cut with cherry chapstick. Every couple sips I detect the hint of an interesting flavor profile but before I can taste it outright the melted slurpee finish washes it away. I don't hate it, but it's probably the most disappointing thing I've had by Sam Adams. Just remember there was a time when it was a good beer. I asked this a page or so ago about Unibroue's Quatre-Centieme. The bottle hints at it being brewed once in 2008, but the site says that it's been brewed since 2008. Unlike any other Unibroue beer, this doesn't have a date so I'm unsure of how old it is. Edit: I found a stamp on the neck and it indicates that this beer was brewed June 6, 2008. The site recommends 2 years max, but this was fridge kept for at least the past year (I've passed by it many times). I guess I'll open it tonight and see how it is. I do have another question though, what does "Ale on Lees" mean?
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Jun 4, 2012 01:28
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That means that it was unfiltered/un-racked and that it was allowed to age in contact with the sediment (yeast cells mostly).
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Jun 4, 2012 01:54
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Midorka posted:I do have another question though, what does "Ale on Lees" mean? It's a fancy way of saying "bottle conditioned".
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Jun 4, 2012 02:01
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Thanks for that. I'm drinking a Unibroue Don de Dieu and I wish I had known about this sooner. This reminds me a lot of Russian River's Damnation, Duvel, and Delirium Tremens. The nose is super packed with bananas and strawberries, some chalk like aroma, and mild spices. The flavor is very similar very fruity upfront with a bready/shalky mid-taste and a medicinal, peppery, cloves finish. gently caress this is really good. Since I can't get Damnation and Tremens is a bit expensive per ounce I'm going to buy this often!
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Jun 4, 2012 02:15
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Magic Hat Elder Betty - Pleasant wheat, slightly sweet, nice berry-fruit notes. Firmly cemented into my fruity summer beer list. Doesn't get fatiguing like some of the blueberry wheats. Wish it finished a little crisper. Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye - Hops and rye just had sex in my mouth. Safety words may have been involved. Hands-down the best rye beer I've had.
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Jun 4, 2012 03:41
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FreelanceSocialist posted:Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye - Hops and rye just had sex in my mouth. Safety words may have been involved. Hands-down the best rye beer I've had. That's how I feel about it as well, though I can't say I've had near them all. I just opened, well the bottle near opened itself once uncaged, the Unibroue Quatre-Centieme from 2008 and the yeast is dominating this. The aroma has lemons, banana, mild cloves, and lots of other fruit notes to it and smells great. The flavor is a bit more complex, lemons, grapes, caramel, and honey make up the fore/mid-taste while the yeast asserts itself with a strong banana flavor on the finish with a lingering semi-dry chalk and pear finish.
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Jun 4, 2012 04:07
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Speaking of rye beers, I finally got around to cracking a bomber of Firestone Wookey Jack. This is an intense goddam beer with a lot going on, but it works. I put it in the rarely-used category of "black IPA's I actually like" although the rye character is so prominent it's kind of a rye beer first and then IPA second. It also really benefits from warming up a bit. I felt it started out harsh and bitter, and I was kind of shocked to see the recipe only uses Citra and Amarillo. But given time to warm some sweetness and the tropical fruit characteristic of those hops comes out. The rye spice and slick mouthfeel still dominates, though.
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Jun 4, 2012 04:41
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deadwing posted:It's a fancy way of saying "bottle conditioned". It comes from the wine terminology. Champagne, for example, is aged on the lees, and then the lees are removed through the Methode de Champagne, leaving clear, bubbly wine. Green Flash Rayon Vert tonight. Why didn't anyone tell me this was Orval-ish? This is loving great.
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Jun 4, 2012 06:12
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Arnold of Soissons posted:It comes from the wine terminology. Champagne, for example, is aged on the lees, and then the lees are removed through the Methode de Champagne, leaving clear, bubbly wine. loving great is right. I've got a four pack in the fridge that I haven't dug into yet simply because I've been too busy. Maybe tomorrow night I'll crack the Goose Island Juliet and a Rayon Vert...
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Jun 4, 2012 06:29
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Midorka posted:Just remember there was a time when it was a good beer. Arnold of Soissons posted:It comes from the wine terminology. Champagne, for example, is aged on the lees, and then the lees are removed through the Methode de Champagne, leaving clear, bubbly wine.  Méthode Champenoise. Méthode traditionnelle if applied outside the Champagne region.
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Jun 4, 2012 14:56
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bartolimu posted:I had a bottle at a pub a couple of months ago. It's held up very well. All Unibroue beers seem to age toward the same flavor profile; if you like that, you'll like the Quatre-Centieme just fine. If not, trade it to someone who does. I really enjoyed it, and from drinking an older Don de Dieu and the Quatre-Centieme in one night I understand the chalky yeast flavor people talk about. I preferred Don de Dieu though, that is a phenomenal beer.
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Jun 4, 2012 16:12
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Took a trip up to visit Ommegang brewery in Cooperstown, New York. I wish I could just live there. Such beautiful scenery and great beer. I was surprised by two facts I learned: One, they only use one house yeast strain for all of their beers. Two, they produce only 36,000 BBL a year and distribute to 46 states and puerto rico. That doesn't seem like much to distribute to all of those states. Maybe one of the brewer goons can shed some more light on this but I know Dogfish produces more BBL a year and they've been pulling OUT of markets. I also found a small nanobrewery that had just started up called Council Rock Brewing. The people running it were super nice and showed us around their 3 BBL system. They offered three beers with a 4th fermenting: Goldenrod Ale which was a light straw colored ale, Toasted Vienna Lager my favorite and a Brown ale. All three offerings were extremely good quality for such a small and new brewery. Its great to experience a solid small brewery in their initial stages. I wish them all the best success.
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Jun 4, 2012 16:14
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brothers, whoever mentioned Widmer's hefe as being bland and forgettable was exactly accurate. I drank mine on Saturday and have no recollection of any flavor details. I blasted a homebrewed Paulaner Hefe clone from draft immeadiately afterward which was markedly better, To date the only Widmer beer I dug was Deadlift DIPA which owned a whole heck of a lot. I understand it's now called Nelson IPA, I need to check that joint out.
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Jun 4, 2012 16:14
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Had a blast with my TX trip, and good seeing you again SUPER HASSLER! Tried a a couple new-to-me beers: Brasserie De Silly Scotch Silly: It's like a thinner and easier to drink Old Chub. Smells like butterscotch and it went down quick, but with a rich hazelnut finish after every sip. Karbach Bourbon Barrel Hellfighter: Well gently caress, this was impressive. I liked Weisse Versa and Pontificator, but this seals Karbach as my current favorite Texas brewery. Easily one of the best beers made in Texas and right up there with (512) and Rahr's bourbon barrel aged offerings. Excellent balance between the roasted coffee, woody, bourbon, and chocolate flavors. Creamy mouthfeel with a potent bourbon kick that lingers. This was on draft at Whole Foods on Waugh, and it had used a blend of barrels including Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, and Old Fitzgerald. The bartender mentioned they did a one-off with Buffalo Trace barrels for Hay Merchant. The other newer Houston breweries like Buffalo Bayou and No Label haven't put out beer that in my opinion matches Karbach, so I can't wait to see what else these guys have up their sleeve.
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Jun 4, 2012 16:34
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bartolimu posted:
Cheers. My French phonetics is (obviously) atrocious and I was too busy enjoying my Hop Head Red to wiki it 
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Jun 4, 2012 16:55
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lazerwolf posted:Took a trip up to visit Ommegang brewery in Cooperstown, New York. I wish I could just live there. Such beautiful scenery and great beer. I was surprised by two facts I learned: Midorka posted:Just remember there was a time when it was a good beer.
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Jun 4, 2012 17:49
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mysterious frankie posted:Drinking a Sam Adams Cherry Wheat and it tastes like it was cut with cherry chapstick. Every couple sips I detect the hint of an interesting flavor profile but before I can taste it outright the melted slurpee finish washes it away. I don't hate it, but it's probably the most disappointing thing I've had by Sam Adams. My roommate and I tried Founder's Cerise last night. About halfway through my roommate didn't really want to drink it anymore, but I managed to finish mine with no qualms. Although it's probably still a 1 time buy for me personally, I was glad that the cherry didn't overpower the beer like a lot of beers tend to do when using fruit. Anyone try New Belgium Somersault? My roommate and I both prefer it over Summer Love actually. It has a slight apricot finish (which admittedly I can't really detect), but I think it might be our summer beer.
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Jun 4, 2012 20:47
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funkybottoms posted:you've posted about this before and it still surprises me- if you end up with a couple extra XIVs or 2012 Parabolas, i'd love to work out a trade. Well I wish I had checked before I bragged. Apparently someone came and cleared out the supply of XIV, Abacus, and Parabola from 2011 and there are no more left at the only place I knew that still had some. Sorry for that, I failed. I did go on a beer run today though:  Uinta Birthday Suit, Great Divide 18th Anniversary,Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti, 2008 Struise Pannepot Reserva, Allagash Dubbel Reserve, Victory Saison du Buff, 2 2010 Dogfish Head World Wide Stouts, Cricket Hill Bourbon Barrel Aged Porter, 4 Great Lakes Blackout Stout, 2010 Schlafly Reserve Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, and Hebrew Origin. Yes, I know I got a sour beer, but I thought it was worth a try for the price and I've heard good things about the Crooked line. I'm ecstatic that I found a 2008 Pannepot Reserva though!
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Jun 5, 2012 00:34
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Victory's version of Saison du BUFF is so refreshing and drinkable. I've only had it two or three times and wish I could find a six pack of it. So good.
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Jun 5, 2012 00:54
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Angry Grimace posted:I pretty much detest Three Philosophers.  You're right on the other point, though - Ommegang primarily sells in 750mL bottles, and thus sells smaller quantities of beer at a premium price. That probably allows them to distribute less beer to a larger number of markets. Those who distribute primarily in kegs or 4/6 packs generally have larger orders to fulfill, and have to produce more beer to satisfy fewer markets. Signs that brewers are running out of experimental ingredients: Goose Island Clybourn currently has an English bitter brewed with stinging nettles. It's actually quite delicious, with a touch of dandelion-like bitterness from the stinging nettles and a nice balance with Maris Otter malt character. The Foxxy Brown was a bit less impressive, very sweet but with a bit of the unpleasant astringency that large amounts of chocolate malts can give. I spent  on two great beers today: a half-liter of Weihenstephaner Hefeweiss, and a bomber of Stone IRS. I'm especially eager to crack open the weizen, since I haven't had it in a long time.
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Jun 5, 2012 00:56
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Ubik posted:
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Jun 5, 2012 01:03
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Maybe it's because I'm on the east coast, but I find Ommegang's prices are middle of the road, compared to stuff like Allagash and Unibroue. A 750 of Hennepin is only like $6 here, while a bomber of Goose Island anything bumps up against the $9 mark.
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Jun 5, 2012 01:06
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CalvinDooglas posted:Maybe it's because I'm on the east coast, but I find Ommegang's prices are middle of the road, compared to stuff like Allagash and Unibroue. A 750 of Hennepin is only like $6 here, while a bomber of Goose Island anything bumps up against the $9 mark. From New Jersey Ommegang, and Unibroue are about $6-$9 for a bomber, depending on the beer. I did come across a Ommegang gift set of the Hennepin, Three Philosophers, some other beer, and a really nice glass but it was $25 I didn't have the money to spend after my haul today.
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Jun 5, 2012 01:13
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And speaking of Allagash, I'm curious about the Dubbel Reserve you got. I had their regular Dubbel only recently, and enjoyed it greatly. Very smooth, soft flavor and mouthfeel. Floral, velvety, fruity.
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Jun 5, 2012 01:16
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CalvinDooglas posted:And speaking of Allagash, I'm curious about the Dubbel Reserve you got. I had their regular Dubbel only recently, and enjoyed it greatly. Very smooth, soft flavor and mouthfeel. Floral, velvety, fruity. i think it's been changed on more recent labels, but for that and the tripel only the 750mL labels added "Reserve," however it's the same beer.
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Jun 5, 2012 01:26
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Midorka posted:From New Jersey Ommegang, and Unibroue are about $6-$9 for a bomber, depending on the beer. I did come across a Ommegang gift set of the Hennepin, Three Philosophers, some other beer, and a really nice glass but it was $25 I didn't have the money to spend after my haul today. Every where I've seen the Ommegang and Unibroue, Unibroue has been cheaper although they don't have as much overlap in taste as the styles on the bottle might lead one to believe. I'm reminded I haven't had a Hennepin in forever and now kind of want one.
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Jun 5, 2012 01:32
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Angry Grimace posted:Three Philosophers has a taste I would describe as beer and blood. It's pretty foul and it definitely wasn't a bad bottle, it just tastes like that. "Blood" would definitely be an off-flavor, though. If it's kind of salty and/or savory, that's a symptom of autolysis, i.e. yeast dying in the bottle. If it's metallic, there's a problem with the water supply or the brewing process. I've personally never experienced either with Three Philosophers, but taste is of course an individual thing. It's blended with a sour cherry beer, so if that's not your thing then you're not gonna like it. More for the rest of us. 
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Jun 5, 2012 01:34
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funkybottoms posted:i think it's been changed on more recent labels, but for that and the tripel only the 750mL labels added "Reserve," however it's the same beer. Yeah this is what I'm lead to believe as well from Ratebeer listing them as the same.
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Jun 5, 2012 01:36
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DC/NOVA goons, if you had been thinking about visiting Richmond, the 28th might be a good day, as Mekong is celebrating another anniversary: This is part of our 17th Anniversay Celebration We'll be tapping ALL WILD/SOUR Ales BFM Bon Chien 2006 BFM Bon Chien 2009 BFM Bon Chien 2010 BFM Bon Chien 2011 Rex Grue 2009 Baladin Nora Sour Allagash 2010 Interlude Allagash Coolship Series OLD HLT Aged with cherries Hardywood Wild Singel Special blend mostly excited about the HLT; i think maybe two kegs made it to VA. VVV HLT bottles were brewery-only, i think. waiting on my boy in Portland to send me one VVV funkybottoms fucked around with this message at 02:18 on Jun 5, 2012 |
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Jun 5, 2012 01:39
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Nursing a Mikkeller Nelson Sauvin Single-Hop right now. Very interesting hop profile. I like it a lot. Interesting delicately citrusy grape note to it. edit: I really want to try brewing with this hop variety, now. Also, I had that exact HLT at a takeover a little while ago. Hopefully they're careful tapping it, because when we did it, it ended up coating the whole serving area and several people standing nearby  It is tasty, though. I wish I could find it bottled.
FreelanceSocialist fucked around with this message at 02:11 on Jun 5, 2012 |
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Jun 5, 2012 02:02
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Closing in on the end of this 2XIPA six pack. Stand up beer, low price. It's a really good IPA/DIPA standby.Midorka posted:Yeah this is what I'm lead to believe as well from Ratebeer listing them as the same. You are in for a wonderful beer experience, then.
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Jun 5, 2012 02:59
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CalvinDooglas posted:Closing in on the end of this 2XIPA six pack. Stand up beer, low price. It's a really good IPA/DIPA standby. You've just gotta watch when you get it, because the bottles are undated and I don't think I've ever had an IPA/DIPA that noticeably falls off as hard as 2XIPA does after a month or so.
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Jun 5, 2012 03:11
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deadwing posted:You've just gotta watch when you get it, because the bottles are undated and I don't think I've ever had an IPA/DIPA that noticeably falls off as hard as 2XIPA does after a month or so. On the flipside, I once had a ~1 year old bottle of Maharaja that was delightful. I also once had a six pack of Dale's that had oversummered in someone's garage and it was decent, if a little resiny.
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Jun 5, 2012 04:00
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Ubik posted:Signs that brewers are running out of experimental ingredients: Goose Island Clybourn currently has an English bitter brewed with stinging nettles. It's actually quite delicious, with a touch of dandelion-like bitterness from the stinging nettles and a nice balance with Maris Otter malt character. The Foxxy Brown was a bit less impressive, very sweet but with a bit of the unpleasant astringency that large amounts of chocolate malts can give. I recently had an experimental beer at Odell's taproom, a porter dosed with Italian fernet (which I know nothing about). It was loving gross. It tasted like someone squeezed a tube of mint toothpaste into the beer. I've had a really awesome "candy cane porter" that literally contained candy canes so I'm not opposed to mint in beer, but this one did not work even a little bit.
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Jun 5, 2012 04:03
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CalvinDooglas posted:Closing in on the end of this 2XIPA six pack. Stand up beer, low price. It's a really good IPA/DIPA standby. I've been wondering about that, considering the quality of most of ST's regular lineup. The IPA is mediocre and Phin & Matt's is actively terrible. The bar in my apartment building carries it, so I'll have to give it a whirl sometime. I also noticed a 2XStout at Binny's today. Any word on whether that one's any good?
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Jun 5, 2012 04:16
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Ubik posted:"Blood" would definitely be an off-flavor, though. If it's kind of salty and/or savory, that's a symptom of autolysis, i.e. yeast dying in the bottle. If it's metallic, there's a problem with the water supply or the brewing process. I've personally never experienced either with Three Philosophers, but taste is of course an individual thing. It's blended with a sour cherry beer, so if that's not your thing then you're not gonna like it. More for the rest of us. It's not like that; you just have to be drinking it to understand . I just hate it and have a personal vendetta against that particular beer.If it makes you feel better, the Weihenstephaner Hefe and Stone IRS you mentioned are my favorites for their respective styles. Angry Grimace fucked around with this message at 04:29 on Jun 5, 2012 |
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Jun 5, 2012 04:27
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I'm drinking a Schneider Aventinus Eisbock and I prefer the original. This is too concentrated with alcohol and the spice from the yeast, as well as huge banana flavors, being far too prominent. That said, I am enjoying the hell out of this.
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Jun 5, 2012 05:01
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funkybottoms posted:DC/NOVA goons, if you had been thinking about visiting Richmond, the 28th might be a good day, as Mekong is celebrating another anniversary:  What the gently caress, An. Might be a good chance for me to get in on this beer club action. I'll be hitting that '06 Bon Chien like it's my last day on earth. And in other local news, Cap Ale Midlo still has Vampire Slayer on tap as of last night. I'm not sure how heavy the growler-fill day discount is but it's quite tempting to get a fill and drink like a king for a week. That's one hell of a stout.I need to give 2XIPA another shot as I've only had it on the tail end of a pint of Firestone Walker Double Jack. Not exactly a fair fight, and I ended up shouldering through instead of savoring it. Southern Tier is on my bad side right now, as I've really moved away from overly sweet beers. It'd be nice to redeem them at least a bit. Kraven Moorhed fucked around with this message at 10:15 on Jun 5, 2012 |
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Jun 5, 2012 10:12
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Ubik posted:I also noticed a 2XStout at Binny's today. Any word on whether that one's any good? not a world-beater, but a decent, chocolaty milk stout that's super-easy to drink. KM, Mekong is doing something every Thursday this month, but that's the special one. also stoked that they start pouring at 200pm, so i can get there before it starts jumping. oh, and on the 19th they're gonna be tapping Blue Mountain Barrel House beers, including Dark Hollow- fingers crossed that i don't have to work. finally, for you Ohio goons, the above-mentioned Mekong will be opening a location in Sandusky, of all places, so if you want Vietnamese food to go with your awesome beer, keep an eye out.
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Jun 5, 2012 11:12
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Ubik posted:I've been wondering about that, considering the quality of most of ST's regular lineup. The IPA is mediocre and Phin & Matt's is actively terrible. The bar in my apartment building carries it, so I'll have to give it a whirl sometime. I think their 2XIPA is a very good, consistent IPA. The 2XStout is underwhelming.
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