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global tetrahedron posted:I dunno, maybe I'm weird but I much preferred 2 Below to Snow Day. Isolation Ale is one of my favorite winter beers, and I found 2 Below to be similar. Snow Day just seems unremarkable in the wake of other dark malty/roasty winter seasonals. Funny, I feel the opposite. 2 Below just seems like an amped up Fat Tire to me, and Fat Tire sucks. Whereas Snow Day has a nice orange and chocolate thing going on. It's not a typical high ABV winter warmer but that's not what they're going for and I think it fills a nice niche. Edit: I wish they'd bring back Mighty Arrow, though. I friggin loved that beer, and I don't like Dig at all. That's the only season switch-up that seems like a giant downgrade. Somersault and Skinny Dip were both bad so I have no opinion there.
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Nov 5, 2012 03:10
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I don't spend a lot of time in the thread, but I figured I should brag about this. I was on a media junket to Boston and I got to do a tutored tasting of the Utopias 2012 with Jim Koch. That was pretty cool. The maple syrup in there really dries out if it stays on your shelf long enough. I had the 2011 at a beer dinner the previous evening, so it really highlighted the difference. Edit: Also, at Charles Street Liquors, I told them I was a Canadian beer writer and they added the new shipment of Backwoods Bastard and Breakfast Stout to the system so I could buy them. That was pretty super. saints gambit fucked around with this message at 05:41 on Nov 5, 2012 |
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Nov 5, 2012 05:36
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Managed to score a 4-pack of Founders' Devil Dancer Triple IPA. This beer is a monster! Not sure I've ever had a stronger, hoppier beer; though I've never tried any of the 'extreme' beers like 120 minute IPA. It's quite good, though I can't really say the >$5 a bottle price tag is worth it. Founders is probably my favorite brewery, and IMO this doesn't really hold up to their real greats like Breakfast Stout or Double Trouble. Also tried some Pumking over the weekend, and agreeing with the people who say it's not that great. Good beer overall but had kind of a weird artificial whipped cream aftertaste, and much too sweet for my taste. Schlafly's pumpkin ale blew it away this year, plus it was a lot cheaper.
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Nov 5, 2012 05:47
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danbanana posted:
Soap like how some people get that flavor from cilantro? What other beers have given you that kind of experience? I guess that's sort of like how Deviant Dale's tastes like an aspirin tablet to me, just purely on an individual palate. I get mango from Sculpin, and it's my favorite fruit, and that's a big part of why I like it so much.
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Nov 5, 2012 06:16
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air- posted:Soap like how some people get that flavor from cilantro? What other beers have given you that kind of experience? I guess that's sort of like how Deviant Dale's tastes like an aspirin tablet to me, just purely on an individual palate. A friend of mine has the same problem. Some hoppy beers taste like soap to him. The poor bastard can't drink any FW Union Jack or Double Jack because it. He's okay with cilantro, though, so I don't think the two are related.
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Nov 5, 2012 06:45
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Just googled it and a 15 pack actually exist. http://www.thebeveragestore.com/beer/miller-lite-18oz-15-pack.html
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Nov 5, 2012 07:46
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Jmcrofts posted:Managed to score a 4-pack of Founders' Devil Dancer Triple IPA. This beer is a monster! Not sure I've ever had a stronger, hoppier beer; though I've never tried any of the 'extreme' beers like 120 minute IPA. It's quite good, though I can't really say the >$5 a bottle price tag is worth it. Founders is probably my favorite brewery, and IMO this doesn't really hold up to their real greats like Breakfast Stout or Double Trouble. Devil Dancer is a seasonal and comes out in July. You might want to try to get your hands on some next year and try it out fresh to see how you like it.
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Nov 5, 2012 12:56
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air- posted:I get mango from Sculpin, and it's my favorite fruit, and that's a big part of why I like it so much. If you haven't you should get on Firestone Walker's Double Jack then. Also looking at recent Devil Dancer ratings has me wondering if the beer is finally mellow enough to enjoy or if people are really that hung up on Founders. I don't think Founders can do anything over an IPA right, Double Trouble and Devil Dancer were just pretty awful unbalanced hop bombs. Also me and the gf drank a Madruga Obscura and boy was that a weird sensation, I did not expect the sour from the pour, the concept of a sour stout is just foreign to me. Still I enjoyed it somewhat, I wish it was a little more balanced with the base beer and the sourness and the sour took up most of the flavor, but I'm just not huge on sours yet so maybe I'll love it in a year or so once my palate becomes used to sours.
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Nov 5, 2012 15:30
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Midorka posted:If you haven't you should get on Firestone Walker's Double Jack then. Totally a fan of that as well, yeah - no distro to TX however. I split my fridge IPA rotation between (highest to low priority, but that shifts according to freshness): Sculpin, Maharaja, GF West Coast, Modus Hoperandi, and St. Arnold Endeavour. Whole Foods by my place also just tapped Big Eye, so hello $3 happy hour pints.
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Nov 5, 2012 16:52
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I miss Modus Hoperandi from whenever I went to Chicago. poo poo is tasty and very easily obtainable.
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Nov 5, 2012 17:04
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Trader Joe's just opened in my town and I picked up some of the Mission St IPA. That's the one that is contract brewed by Firestone Walker, right? Also, a new place opened up that has a "pour your own" beer wall. You pay for a token with 32 oz. on it, then you can pour as much or as little of each beer as you want. Apparently it's only the 3rd of it's type in the US.
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Nov 5, 2012 17:09
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Retemnav posted:Trader Joe's just opened in my town and I picked up some of the Mission St IPA. That's the one that is contract brewed by Firestone Walker, right? It says it's brewed in Paso Robles, which is where Firestone is. There's a good chance I would wager, though I find it odd that Firestone has capacity to spare for anything other than it's own beer.
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Nov 5, 2012 17:49
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Yeah Mission St is the exact same recipe as their Pale 31 pale ale, except 31 has a small amount of DBA blended into it.
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Nov 5, 2012 17:54
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Midorka posted:If you haven't you should get on Firestone Walker's Double Jack then.
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Nov 5, 2012 19:37
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SoCal goons, Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout is on sale now: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/293189 4 bottle max, about $28/bottle after ticket charges it looks like. Brewery pickup only.
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Nov 5, 2012 21:10
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The SARS Volta posted:Also bought the LoF Imperial Coffee Chocolate Stout; taste report incoming I've since had two bottles and think it's my second favorite Lips of Faith after Cocoa Mole. Reminds me of Surly's Coffee Bender, but it's a lot smoother. Would love to have it off a nitro tap.
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Nov 5, 2012 21:45
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Brown Shugga has returned after a 2 year hiatus! So delicious and inexpensive. This one is dangerous though, I somehow managed to black out immediately after pouring myself another glass. So I woke up with a full glass of it poured the next morning. It sneaks up on you.
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Nov 5, 2012 23:53
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Midorka posted:Also looking at recent Devil Dancer ratings has me wondering if the beer is finally mellow enough to enjoy or if people are really that hung up on Founders. I don't think Founders can do anything over an IPA right, Double Trouble and Devil Dancer were just pretty awful unbalanced hop bombs. I guess we have different taste, I LOVE Double Trouble. Like Sirotan mentioned the Devil Dancer I had was probably old as poo poo but I still thought it was alright, just nothing amazing.
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Nov 6, 2012 01:10
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In June I had Looking Glass, which is Devil Dancer aged in brandy barrels. It was delicious. Edit: and as I typed that I JUST realized why they call it Looking Glass. Well done Founders. 
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Nov 6, 2012 01:14
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escape artist posted:Brown Shugga has returned after a 2 year hiatus! So delicious and inexpensive. This one is dangerous though, I somehow managed to black out immediately after pouring myself another glass. So I woke up with a full glass of it poured the next morning.
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Nov 6, 2012 02:36
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Does Brown Shugga age well?
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Nov 6, 2012 02:44
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Midorka posted:Does Brown Shugga age well? IMO, no. I'd keep it for 6 months, max. I've had it 2 years old and I thought it sucked.
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Nov 6, 2012 03:33
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Midorka posted:Does Brown Shugga age well? This is a very contentious topic. I'll say yes, even if it becomes a very different beer than it is fresh. I'd say it's better fresh, but it really becomes a different, but still very good beer aged.
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Nov 6, 2012 04:22
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All of this Brown Shugga talk upsets me, because I was unable to get any this year. It sold out super quick, and it arrived the one week I didn't go to the grocery store...
Kudosx fucked around with this message at 04:55 on Nov 6, 2012 |
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Nov 6, 2012 04:36
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I'm conflicted on buying a 6 pack then, we'll see on the price. What I can say is Smuttynose's Really Old Brown Dog is great, it's got a nice toffee, brown sugar sweetness going on and nice medicinal grape/dark fruit esters on the finish, sort of port wine like. Very good value.
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Nov 6, 2012 04:39
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Kudosx posted:All of this Brown Shugga talk upsets me, because I was unable to get any this year. It sold out super quick, and it arrived the one week I didn't go to the grocery store... Go to Mikes bar and grille in Berea, it's on tap right now! I only drank most of it. On a related note, I just noticed that Oskar Blues is now easy to find in ohio 
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Nov 6, 2012 04:40
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Docjowles posted:Yeah Mission St is the exact same recipe as their Pale 31 pale ale, except 31 has a small amount of DBA blended into it. And Mission St. sometimes sits around for a long time before being purchased.
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Nov 6, 2012 06:12
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Kudosx posted:All of this Brown Shugga talk upsets me, because I was unable to get any this year. It sold out super quick, and it arrived the one week I didn't go to the grocery store... There are cases upon cases of it at my local Giant... crazy Glottis posted:And Mission St. sometimes sits around for a long time before being purchased. This is why I never buy it, no bottle date.
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Nov 6, 2012 16:09
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Just throwing it out there as googling is leading me nowhere. Anyone in Houston seen Brown Shugga anywhere?
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Nov 6, 2012 17:17
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I was at the store today to pick up some Chimay and saw they had a 150 year special. It was a bit expensive (7€ for a 750 ml bottle) but I was interested so I just picked up one. Haven't popped it open yet cause I got some things to do, but does anyone know this one and can tell me about it? Don't see it listed on wikipedia or their website.
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Nov 6, 2012 18:05
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nwin posted:Just throwing it out there as googling is leading me nowhere. Have you called Spec's on Smith Street or D&Q? Those would be the first places I'd try, but it might be difficult to find at this point. Limited quantities showed up in TX, so it could be all gone.
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Nov 6, 2012 18:17
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Boris Galerkin posted:I was at the store today to pick up some Chimay and saw they had a 150 year special. It was a bit expensive (7€ for a 750 ml bottle) but I was interested so I just picked up one. Haven't popped it open yet cause I got some things to do, but does anyone know this one and can tell me about it? Don't see it listed on wikipedia or their website. You're lucky. It was only sent to a few states. http://www.beerpulse.com/2012/10/chimay-speciale-cent-cinquante-only-shipped-to-six-states-and-puerto-rico/
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Nov 6, 2012 18:59
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Boris Galerkin posted:I was at the store today to pick up some Chimay and saw they had a 150 year special. It was a bit expensive (7€ for a 750 ml bottle) but I was interested so I just picked up one. Haven't popped it open yet cause I got some things to do, but does anyone know this one and can tell me about it? Don't see it listed on wikipedia or their website. Here you go: http://beerpulse.com/2012/06/chimay-speciale-cent-cinquante-set-to-arrive-in-the-u-s/ EDIT: Beaten by nanoseconds. Content! How is "International Stout Day" in various regions? Here in AZ most of the craft bars tap tons of stuff and it turns out pretty good. The big player here Whole Foods is tapping an Avery Czar from 2010, notable because Avery doesn't distribute here any longer. Modern Automaton fucked around with this message at 19:02 on Nov 6, 2012 |
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Nov 6, 2012 18:59
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Modern Automaton posted:Here in AZ Hey I may be driving through the state soon; where should I go for exciting beer times?
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Nov 6, 2012 19:26
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cryme posted:You're lucky. It was only sent to a few states. Well if you want one let me know it's everywhere in NJ and going nowhere at the price of $25. Last night my gf bought a Lindeman's Pomme Lambic, and while I know it's not indicative of a "real" lambic, I enjoyed the hell out of it. It reminded me of an alcoholic version of Jones Soda's Green Apple Soda. Sweet and artificial but satisfying.
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Nov 6, 2012 19:28
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Modern Automaton posted:Here you go: Which whole foods is doing this? I thought the chandler location was the only one with a bar but I don't see anything on the events page about it.
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Nov 6, 2012 19:37
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Docjowles posted:It's a pretty solid beer. If you like it, stock up, because they've just cut over to Snow Day as their active seasonal. Which is fine by me, I really really like Snow Day. How does snow day compare to the Red Hoptober in taste?
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Nov 6, 2012 20:31
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Incursus posted:How does snow day compare to the Red Hoptober in taste? They're totally different. Snow Day is more malty/sweet/roasty, whereas Red Hoptober will be crisper/cleaner and hoppier tasting.
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Nov 6, 2012 20:34
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Incursus posted:How does snow day compare to the Red Hoptober in taste? I had snow day last year, and wasn't very fond of it. Reminds me a little of Sam Adams Winter Lager, but not as good IMO. Agreeing with you that Red Hoptober is fantastic though.
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Nov 6, 2012 20:37
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SUPER HASSLER posted:Hey I may be driving through the state soon; where should I go for exciting beer times? All of the good spots are in the "east valley" as it's called here. Tempe, Chandler, Scottsdale (if you're inclined to pull up a map); my bar Taste of Tops is a small 24 tap/500 bottle craft bar with a liquor store attached which is a good combo for most out of towners. That out of the way, sorry, there is a place in South Scottsdale called Papago which basically was the first real craft bar in Arizona proper. They have to-go beer as well, along with 30 or so taps and pub food, solid place. South of both of us is Whole Foods Chandler which is the big hitter these days with events every weeks and deep pockets. They have tons of stuff going on and off there, but it gets crowded fast and its in a market so that atmosphere is a little strange. Some other names to throw out are Flannys, Four Peaks (biggest AZ brewer), Hungry Monk, World of Beer (chain from the east coast) and Moto (small sushi/craft bar in Phoenix).
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Nov 6, 2012 20:38
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