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For anyone who's had the Dos Costas Oeste beers from Cigar City (we have a CCB goon here, right? bananasinpajamas?) would you recommend them? A buddy of mine saw that a store by his folks' has all three varieties - lemon, grapefruit, and cedar wood aged, but it'll be at around $20 a pop. I wanted to check with the folks here before telling him to drop that much money, especially since the BeerAdvocate reviews seem to indicate some infection/bottling issues.
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Aug 19, 2012 01:49
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bartolimu posted:Black Butte XXIV made it to Vegas yesterday, so I'd guess it's out or has been in most of the country. If anyone's opened one to try it fresh, I'd be interested in opinions. One of the local bars got a keg they might tap next week, if so I'll do the review honors myself. XXI was one of my favorites for aging so my hopes are high. Black Butte XXIV is really good right now. Very drinkable fresh. Posted about it right after release: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?goto=post&postid=405984119 I've had it several times since then on tap and my opinion hasn't changed. However, it does not strike me as a beer that will age the way that the XXI has or (I expect) XXIII will. It'll go a few years, no problem, but I don't know that it'll get significantly better.
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Aug 19, 2012 02:07
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Had the New Belgium/Alpine Super DIPA on tap last night and thought it was really disappointing. It was quite sweet with a hop profile that was predominately over-ripe tropical fruit. Not terribly complex and lacked bitterness to balance out some of the sweet, tropical flavors.
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Aug 19, 2012 02:55
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Picked up a bottle of Brux and Saison Brett tonight. Looking forward to trying both. Also had Pumking last night and rrrrrreally liked it. Not as sweet as I thought it would be. Also tried Harpoon ufo pumpkin. Think it's gonna go well in the beef stew we're making tomorrow.
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Aug 19, 2012 03:03
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bartolimu posted:Big Bear doesn't stand up to Speedway or Serpent Stout, but it's a very good beer from a great brewery. Tonight, I enjoyed the Big Bear Black Stout. I wasn't blown away at first, but the more it warmed up, the more the flavors came into balance. At the end of the bottle, I was wishing I had 12 more ounces. I have this weird thing with higher ABV beers. There's some point where the alcohol flavor comes through more than I want it to, and that point seems to hover around 10% or so, depending on the rest of the flavor. On the other hand, a really excellent 8% beer is a thing of beauty. It gets in the way of my enjoying some of the better stouts and IPAs out there. Torpedo? Love it! Hoptimum? I'm wincing halfway through it. So, the usual "imperial stout"? I nurse it, wishing I could enjoy it as much as others do. But this 8% "big" stout? Oh, man, good stuff.
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Aug 19, 2012 03:51
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Re: Domaine DuPage... An all-time favorite. Two Brothers' original tag line was about brewing non-traditional American brews, and DD was the first Euro farmhouse ale I ever tried. Years later, it still doesn't taste like any saison/farmhouse beer i've ever had. Something about it still tastes really unique and I love it.
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Aug 19, 2012 04:40
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jerkstores posted:Sounds like I need to make more money! I personally think that the best place is the Marlton Canal's, mostly because most people overlook it, meaning good poo poo is right on the shelf. I've found many beers that other stores hide away for regulars sitting right on the shelf. Every store I listed though is worth scoping out at least once. I usually do the Deptford Canal's+Roger Wilco+Timber Creek in one run, then the Marlton Canal's+Wine Works+Total Wine in the other. There is a decent Roger Wilco in Sicklerville and a decent Canal's in Berlin, but I don't think they are worth going out of your way for. Monster is great, but they jack up prices sometimes on rare stuff and have really old stock, Hops and Grapes is decent. Edit: So Kentucky Bourbon Ale is excellent when you drink it warm in a snifter and pretend it's a weak bourbon. Lots of vanilla with oak and bourbon combined matching it. I'm enjoying it way more this way than cold. Midorka fucked around with this message at 08:12 on Aug 19, 2012 |
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Aug 19, 2012 05:37
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Podima posted:For anyone who's had the Dos Costas Oeste beers from Cigar City (we have a CCB goon here, right? bananasinpajamas?) would you recommend them? A buddy of mine saw that a store by his folks' has all three varieties - lemon, grapefruit, and cedar wood aged, but it'll be at around $20 a pop. I only tried the grapefruit, which was selling for around $14 around here last year, but I liked it a lot. That said, I didn't rush out to buy more, or to try the other flavors, because that still seemed like a lot of money to spend on a bottle of beer. I'd say go for it if the flavors sound particularly interesting to you and you have the money to spare, but otherwise there's a ton of great beer out there that costs significantly less than that.
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Aug 19, 2012 18:45
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We tapped a keg of the cedar Dos Costas last week and it was sour as gently caress. And completely delicious. We've had reports of exploding bottles of all 3 variations. Basically it's infected all to hell but tastes awesome now so 
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Aug 19, 2012 19:51
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record cutter posted:We tapped a keg of the cedar Dos Costas last week and it was sour as gently caress. And completely delicious. We've had reports of exploding bottles of all 3 variations. Basically it's infected all to hell but tastes awesome now so That was really good - are they all like that? I've got bottles of the grapefruit + lemon.
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Aug 19, 2012 21:23
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record cutter posted:We tapped a keg of the cedar Dos Costas last week and it was sour as gently caress. And completely delicious. We've had reports of exploding bottles of all 3 variations. Basically it's infected all to hell but tastes awesome now so The same thing happened to Goose Island with a batch of Matilda that got a huge lacto infection, which ended up being called Dominique. Apparently it was super-delicious and some people consider it one of Goose's best beers. danbanana, Domaine DuPage is also one of my favorite things to come out of Two Brothers.  But when they call it a "farmhouse" ale, it's definitely in the style of a Biere de Garde rather than a saison.
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Aug 19, 2012 21:36
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Has there ever been a thread about beer steins? A few days ago, I saw a beer stein that I would actually consider owning-- that was probably the first time it has ever happened, but then I haven't typically invested much time in searching for steins. If it turns out that there's a wealth of amazing steins buried within this forum, I'd be curious to see photos.
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Aug 19, 2012 21:37
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Ubik posted:The same thing happened to Goose Island with a batch of Matilda that got a huge lacto infection, which ended up being called Dominique. Apparently it was super-delicious and some people consider it one of Goose's best beers. The batch of infected Matilda I tasted got pulled from shelves. It was interesting, but not very good. Just a mish-mash of Belgiany flavors that didn't really mix.
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Aug 19, 2012 23:41
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mysterious frankie posted:Picked up a bottle of Brux and Saison Brett tonight. Looking forward to trying both. Also had Pumking last night and rrrrrreally liked it. Not as sweet as I thought it would be. I'd recommend letting that Brux sit for a few years. My beer dork friends that have opened theirs have all been disappointed, but said it has good aging potential.
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Aug 20, 2012 08:13
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I had a really beer-nerdy moment the other day. I was at a wine bar that also happened to have beer and someone ordered a "blonde ale." I asked to taste it and said, "bullshit, this is a Kolsch." I looked it up and it was in fact a Kolsch-style.
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Aug 20, 2012 12:14
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b c n u posted:I'd recommend letting that Brux sit for a few years. My beer dork friends that have opened theirs have all been disappointed, but said it has good aging potential. A few years? Give it three months. I had one the day we got it on the shelves and it was decent, but the flavor was very subdued. I opened my second about a week ago, and it has definitely started to perk up - more funk, more fruitiness, the sour had more of an edge to it. My third I will probably crack in November.
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Aug 20, 2012 13:48
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Recently I completed a Hair of the Dog Adam trifecta and I've got to say this is one of my favorite beers. Two weeks ago I went to a big tasting and one of my buddies with a crazy collection who always brings his crazy rare beers to tastings brought out this.  Batch 33 (1998) of Adam in whatever bigass bottle format this is, its an older recipe of Adam that was like 8% as opposed to the current 10%. It didn't seem to be too significantly changed by age which was surprising, though it had taken on a bit of a rummy sherry note.  Last weekend I went on a vacation to Portland and hit up Hair of the Dog and they had Cherry Adam from the Wood on tap, which was pretty ridiculously good though the small sampler I got was about all I'd probably be able to drink. They didn't have any regular Adam on tap so I picked up a few bottles and had them at dinner with family members. I love the balance this beer strikes, a little touch of roast and chocolate, some complex malt sweetness but not too much, a little leather and toasted malt character. So good.  Then yesterday at a small beer tasting the same buddy who brought the bigass 1998 Adam popped out a Adam From the Wood 2011. Wow.  Everything I love about Adam, with a big bourbon oak note on the top that blends in very well with the base beer. We had a 2008 GI BCS afterwards and I think I'd give the "Overall Best Dark Barrel Aged Beer" award to the Adam over the BCS. So I brought back a few bottles of Adam from Portland and am on a quest to get some more Adam From The Wood and maybe Cherry Adam. I've also been meaning to brew an Old Ale lately so I think thats next. Also bonus beer from yesterdays tasting  Portsmouth Kate The Great was pretty drat good, but it doesn't live up to the retardedly insane hype surrounding it. Its a rich, smooth, full bodied and well balanced RIS but I think that regular CCB Marshall Zhukov still takes my "Best RIS" vote.
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Aug 20, 2012 16:44
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FreelanceSocialist posted:A few years? Give it three months. I had one the day we got it on the shelves and it was decent, but the flavor was very subdued. I opened my second about a week ago, and it has definitely started to perk up - more funk, more fruitiness, the sour had more of an edge to it. My third I will probably crack in November. Nah, knowing Vinnie (who is a major Orval nut) they probably did the same treatment to it that Orval does, where the initial bottle aging phase isn't fully done for 8 months. I've got a few and I'm saving the opening of my first one for the new year, though it helps that I had one fresh at a tasting so I know where it needs to go.
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Aug 20, 2012 16:46
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How are Russian River and Firestone Walker breweries to visit? My fiancee and I are going to honeymoon on the west coast in two weeks(Santa Barbara, San Fran, Napa, Portland, etc.) and these two breweries are right in our proposed travel route! I've never had Pliny the Elder, so i'm super pumped to stop by RR for that alone, and am in love with pretty much all i've had from FW (Double Jack, Union Jack, Walker Reserve, Wookey Jack). Anything to try at either I wouldn't be able to get in Chicago? What brewery should we visit in Portland (or in Gold Beach, OR)? Any other breweries along the coast that are pretty much DONT MISS THIS? Unfortunately we won't be headed to San Diego or anywhere south of LA, so that scratches Green Flash and Stone off the list 
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Aug 20, 2012 18:48
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Cervixalot posted:How are Russian River and Firestone Walker breweries to visit? Firestone is a good visit - they have an hourly brewery tour that they take you through, and a number of tasting room/restaurant only releases. Russian River is pretty typical brewpub visit. They tend to have everything on tap, so Pliny will be there. If you're in that area, I'd say also visit Lagunitas. The atmosphere is a lot different and they have a lot of variety with what they'll have on tap.
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Aug 20, 2012 19:09
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Cervixalot posted:How are Russian River and Firestone Walker breweries to visit? Lagunitas and Bear Republic are somewhat close by Russian River and might be interesting to check out. The thing about brewery visits are that they're often disappointing since they tend to just be huge warehouses. I went to Lost Abbey this week and it was really just an industrial garage (and no, wattershed, it wasn't that hot at all). What was really mind bending was that Pizza Port of all locations was insanely hot and un-air conditioned. It's pretty much mind boggling they didn't think that it would be blazing hot like 50% of the year. Angry Grimace fucked around with this message at 19:13 on Aug 20, 2012 |
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Aug 20, 2012 19:09
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Thanks for the recommendations! Yeah, a cool brewery tour would be a nice to have, but i'm mostly interested in being able to taste stuff I can't get in Chicago. Definitely will keep both Lagunitas and Bear Republic in mind, big fan of their flagship offerings.
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Aug 20, 2012 19:23
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Angry Grimace posted:I went to Lost Abbey this week and it was really just an industrial garage (and no, wattershed, it wasn't that hot at all). What was really mind bending was that Pizza Port of all locations was insanely hot and un-air conditioned. It's pretty much mind boggling they didn't think that it would be blazing hot like 50% of the year. That's pretty hosed up. Part of the warehouse experience is that you're basically eavesdropping in on a brewery's operations while you have some of their beers. It's an expectation of mine that the conditions be as lovely as possible
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Aug 20, 2012 20:59
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wattershed posted:That's pretty hosed up. Part of the warehouse experience is that you're basically eavesdropping in on a brewery's operations while you have some of their beers. It's an expectation of mine that the conditions be as lovely as possible Lost Abbey was fine, they had all the doors open and fans on. Also, I ordered a Framboise de Amorosa priced at $15 (for a 375ml!), 8 tasters at $1 a piece and purchased 2 Lost Abbey stemware glasses priced at $8 a piece. My bill was like $27 and they didn't have a line on the bill to tip them. I just signed it and left, I was more concerned about what I was supposed to do about the whole tip thing than the total amount. Then when I was driving to Stone I thought about this and realized they obviously hosed something up in my favor. I'm not sure what's up with the whole Port Brewing operation...they only had four beers on draft at the brewery and even most of their interesting LA stuff was empty. It was fine for me since I've never had any of their regular production stuff, but that's gotta be disappointing if you've never been there. Stone did not have that new "Enjoy by IPA" on draft at the brewery, despite packaging it 2 days prior and going on and on about how much you must try this beer fresh.
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Aug 20, 2012 22:03
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I went to a bar on Saturday that had Goose Island IPA on tap. That is pretty awesome in itself, but it was also $1.50 a pint. I guess that nobody was drinking it so they were trying to get rid of it. They only opened two months ago so it couldn't of been that old, and tasted great. Was pretty amazed though that they had it cheaper then any of the Macro brew stuff.
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Aug 20, 2012 22:49
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Angry Grimace posted:Lost Abbey was fine, they had all the doors open and fans on. Also, I ordered a Framboise de Amorosa priced at $15 (for a 375ml!), 8 tasters at $1 a piece and purchased 2 Lost Abbey stemware glasses priced at $8 a piece. My bill was like $27 and they didn't have a line on the bill to tip them. Bank error in your favor. Collect $200 and a delicious seasonal beer. In other new Stone beer news, I know it's been discussed here a bit but I enjoyed the 16th Anniversary beer a ton. Lemon's one of those ingredients that really splits the camps, as evidenced by the reviews online, but as someone who enjoys it in beer I thought they did an awesome job of balancing out the rye, lemon, bitterness from the hops, giving it a heavy backbone, and making the 10% abv disappear in the process. As I was drinking it I kept thinking "argh this is the lemony flavor I wanted in my saison!" I haven't seen the Enjoy By IPA anywhere yet...
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Aug 20, 2012 23:06
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wattershed posted:Bank error in your favor. Collect $200 and a delicious seasonal beer. They had 16th at Stone but I didn't end up ordering it.
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Aug 20, 2012 23:25
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so it looks like only Richmond out of all of VA has Dark Horse- gently caress you, NOVA! drinking the Special Reserve Black Ale and it's pretty enjoyable, probably the most roast-centric beer i've had in a couple years. seriously, the aftertaste is something like eating an espresso bean. had the Boffo Brown, too, which reminded me of a slightly lighter Maduro Brown. Munkaboo, you should keep an eye out next time you head down this way.
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Aug 21, 2012 00:10
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Cervixalot posted:How are Russian River and Firestone Walker breweries to visit? Oregon Coast: Pelican Pub in Pacific City. Their beer is awesome and the pub is right up on the beach, great views. Portland: Lompoc and Amnesia. Both are in the N/NE part of Portland (both are close to I-5, actually) and make superb beers. Amnesia makes some of the best, well-rounded IPAs in the city. The also have an giant patio for summer relaxation, burgers, and sausages. Lompoc has a Sidebar tasting room that is open weekends, which has some of their barrel-aged and other specialty beers on tap.
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Aug 21, 2012 00:21
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Cervixalot posted:What brewery should we visit in Portland (or in Gold Beach, OR)? How long are you planning on being in Portland? Not much in or near Gold Beach. Pelican in Pacific City is good, but hell and gone from Gold Beach. If you make it up to Newport, Bier One is a great little beer bar/homebrew shop. I would avoid Rogue. If you are passing through Corvallis on your way to Portland (down highway 20), I would highly recommend Block 15. Excellent food and beer at the brewpub. As for Portland itself, you MUST go to the Cascade Brewing Barrel House if you like sour beers. There are lots of other breweries making sour beer these days, but none can compete with the insane number of different, brewery only releases to be found here. Hair of the Dog is close to Cascade and is also a good bet. They usually have some very interesting rare beers on tap like Flanders Fred or Fred from the Wood. Bailey's Taproom and Apex are great beer bars, though Apex is a bit California/IPA focused which might be redundant after your RR and Bear Republic visits.
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Aug 21, 2012 01:13
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Angry Grimace posted:Everyone I was with at Lost Abbey hated every single one of their beers except my wife who loves their sours. It was almost comical. I figured that would be the case, but I was counting on the Port side to be more robust in terms of selection. Not really sure what's up with that brand. I strongly detest Mongo and find everything else they make to be verging on boring. I thought maybe they'd have some seasonals or something, but it really felt like they're just abandoning the brand to focus on Lost Abbey stuff. Lost Abbey is one of my favorite breweries, so I'm kind of surprised you feel that strongly about them. I'll agree some of their stuff hasn't been as good as it once was - this year's Red Poppy has become a big sulfur bomb and needs a lot of time at low temp to maybe become drinkable, for instance, which is a disappointment. Angel's Share wasn't stellar either, being basically liquid oak flavor with little else. Still, their more regular selections have been reliably great. Ten Commandments is as delicious as ever, and Red Barn is better than I remember it being. What did you and your friends find objectionable about virtually every beer they had, and why did you go to a brewery you expected to hate? Also if you've only tried Mongo on tap, have a bottle. It's a totally different beer because they use a different (and better) hop schedule.
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Aug 21, 2012 04:23
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Cervixalot posted:How are Russian River and Firestone Walker breweries to visit? They are both awesome, go to both. Firestone now has a good restaurant across the street from it where you can spend a ton of money buying back catalog beers (Parabola from the first release, etc), or you can go to the normal brewhouse which has everything on tap as well. It's pretty straightforward but they have great beer and some of it isn't for sale anywhere else. Russian River is also great, check out their website to see what they have on tap. Their Belgian-style ales are way cheaper at the brewery on tap so try as many as you feel comfortable drinking. And a Pliny, of course. San Francisco has some nice smaller brewpubs that are worth checking out if you happen to be staying in the city anyway, but I don't think there's any brewery there that is worth going out of your way for. If you feel like getting some awesome Belgian beer of all sorts, La Trappe is a great stop in north beach.
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Aug 21, 2012 05:19
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Ran across a bar I'd like to check out (psst Munkaboo): http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/bars-clubs/spacebar,1231929/critic-review.html?wpisrc=nl_gogthu Spacebar is owned by the same people as Galaxy Hut, and apparently they got the only keg of Tart of Darkness in NOVA. Wish I'd known about this place yesterday as I was in the area! The vibe sounds identical to Petrol Station in Houston.
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Aug 21, 2012 15:05
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air- posted:Ran across a bar I'd like to check out (psst Munkaboo): Falls Church? hmm.. is it in walking distance of the metro? funkybottoms posted:so it looks like only Richmond out of all of VA has Dark Horse- gently caress you, NOVA! drinking the Special Reserve Black Ale and it's pretty enjoyable, probably the most roast-centric beer i've had in a couple years. seriously, the aftertaste is something like eating an espresso bean. had the Boffo Brown, too, which reminded me of a slightly lighter Maduro Brown. Munkaboo, you should keep an eye out next time you head down this way. Coming to Cville weekend and the Richmond weekend after that, so I'll check that out. Def going to do my usual Full Nelson run when I go to Cville though. Can't get enough of that poo poo.
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Aug 21, 2012 15:14
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Munkaboo posted:Falls Church? hmm.. is it in walking distance of the metro? Nope. I'd just come in and grab a pint or something- and I'd be happy to drive over there even if it's just a glass of Tart of Darkness.
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Aug 21, 2012 15:17
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Anyone know Charleston's breweries? I've had Palmetto's beer before, but I've never been to their brewery. The other's I don't think I've ever even heard of, except maybe Westbrook. COAST, Westbrook, Holy City, Southend. There is also apparently something called T-Bonz Gill, Grill and Brewery which seems to be owned by the same conglomerate that operates Liberty Steakhouse here in NC, which actually produces some really drat good beer (at least at their Hickory location). Any recommendations? Going to be on the water a lot, so I doubt I'll get to hit more than a couple of them. A good bottle shop to pick up local stuff at would be awesome too. Edit: Ah yea, just looked up Westbrook and I've heard people say good things about their Mexican Cake stout. Retemnav fucked around with this message at 15:35 on Aug 21, 2012 |
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Aug 21, 2012 15:31
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Retemnav posted:Anyone know Charleston's breweries? i believe there's a Charleston goon here who will be comprehensive, but let me preemptively second Charleston Beer Exchange as an amazing bottle shop and COAST Blackbeerd as a beer worthy of seeking out. the Westbrook stuff i've had has been pretty hit-or-miss, and only seek out Mexican Cake if you like really sweet beers or you're looking to pick it up for trade.
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Aug 21, 2012 15:40
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Retemnav posted:Anyone know Charleston's breweries? I've had Palmetto's beer before, but I've never been to their brewery. The other's I don't think I've ever even heard of, except maybe Westbrook. Got a buddy in Charleston. Shot him a note to ask for recommendations but until then: http://charlestonbeerexchange.com/ I haven't been to this one, but I have been to their leg in Greenville, which was tightly packed with all kinds of SE brews and a good selection of other stuff. I've heard good things about Westbrook and as a facility, they do good stuff: they're the contract brewer for a few of Evil Twin's releases, including their loving awesome Imperial Biscotti Break.
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Aug 21, 2012 15:42
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I literally remembered about Charleston Beer Exchange right after I posted, I believe it's been mentioned before in here. I'll definitely swing by there to pick up some bottles of local stuff. Looking up Westbrook's stuff, their bottle art is pretty awesome, if nothing else.
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Aug 21, 2012 15:44
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Charleston connection says:quote:The SC breweries tend to all be hit or miss. But ones who are more hit than miss are COAST (Boy King IIPA, 32/50 Kolsch), Holy City Brewing (when they hit, they hit; when they miss, oh man its awful), and Westbrook (White Thai is interesting when fresh, and I really wish they'd do Mexican Cake again).
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Aug 21, 2012 15:54
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