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What is the standard procedure for opening wax capped beers like The Bruery's Fruet? I wound up using a butterknife on one section so I could get my opener under it and just ripped through the other side. I wound up drinking that last night, solo, and wish I had saved it for 6-8 people to share as it was very hard to get through, yeah I know it was dumb of me so spare the words about that. The aroma is very heavy of oak, very woody, with some bourbon, with a lot of fruit, mostly cherries. It reminded me a lot of a port wine, especially in the intensity of the flavor which also is very dark fruity, almost syrupy, with oak and bourbon on the finish. I'm surprised at how easy this is to drink for the price but it was very hard to finish due to the thick sweetness of it. I have another bottle sitting at temps of around 50-60, mostly on the lower side now that it's getting colder. I'll probably tuck that away and forget about it for a long time to see what happens.
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Nov 17, 2012 18:40
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Just use a knife to cut off the wax until you can pop off the top Friend at a beer festival just posted this. Classy  https://twitter.com/epikwhite/status/269862016527769601
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Nov 17, 2012 19:07
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Pouring hot water over the wax means you don't have to whittle or saw it-- the hotter, the better. Wait until it gets nice and pliable then cut a seam all the way around. Easy peasy.
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Nov 18, 2012 00:06
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air- posted:Just use a knife to cut off the wax until you can pop off the top I hope to take the Cantillon-in-inappropriate-glassware photo while I'm in Brussels this coming January.
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Nov 18, 2012 00:12
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crazyfish posted:I hope to take the Cantillon-in-inappropriate-glassware photo while I'm in Brussels this coming January. I have a huge glass boot that I can use to drink a 330ml Cantillon Kriek... hmm
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Nov 18, 2012 00:47
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Pour it into a pitcher first, then share it with friends that have red solo cups. That's the best way to go about it.
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Nov 18, 2012 00:52
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Anyone else have a chance to try Victory Village this year? I just found it on tap again at the Whole Foods near me. It's just an excellent coffee session beer. Because it's a fairly low-hopped brown ale, and only about 5%, it's really drinkable. Not typically the case with most coffee stouts/porters you find. The coffee is subtle so it didn't wear down my tastebuds. I had it the first year it came out (2010), and thought it was just some one-off brew, so I was really pleased to find it and be able to get a growler filled. The tap room at Whole Foods had an infuser tap for it with coffee beans though, and my fiance tried the infused version. Destroyed the subtlety of it, holy hell the coffee flavor overwhelmed the beer, ha. Might not work for a smaller beer like Village but a bigger stout or more roasty porter might stand up to the infusion.
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Nov 18, 2012 00:54
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I gotta say, I'm really jealous of you guys with access to growler fill stations in your freakin' supermarkets.  Wish NC was cool enough to allow stuff like that. I remember being amazed at seeing one of those in the hoity-toity Piggly Wiggly (seriously, don't laugh) in Myrtle Beach and wishing I could just fill up a growler with whatever, whenever I wanted.
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Nov 18, 2012 01:02
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In Worchester, Mass this week and was able to make a trip to the "Wine Nation" for a beer run. I ended up walking out with: 2x Sam Adams Merry Mischief 1x Weyerbacher Blasphemy 1x Pretty Things Our Finest Kind 1x Boulevard Saison Brett 1x Hoppin Frog BA Boris None of this stuff made it to the shelves in Brooklyn. Probably going to pop the Mischief with some gingerbread cookies for dessert tonight.
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Nov 18, 2012 01:35
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Mikey Purp posted:In Worcester, Mass this week and was able to make a trip to the "Wine Nation" Today I attempted to "stock up" for Thanksgiving. We have a total of 3 beer drinkers coming on Turkey day, and that includes me, so I don't need much. Grabbed a 4-pack of Jack's Abby Octoberfest, and refillable bottles (bombers, I guess, not really growlers) from a tiny brewery (Treehouse) down the road of their porter (Snowtober) and their milk stout (That's What She Said). The stout is fantastic and I'm secretly hoping none of my guests want any. I'll try to keep my hands off this stuff until Thursday.
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Nov 18, 2012 02:04
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Help me, beergoons. I want to get into beers, but I'm not sure how to find good ones. So far all my experience is with local bars. I've tried a few IPAs (Harpoon is probably the most notable), ales (Rogue Dead Guy and some important French farm thing, both tasted too mild to me), chocolate stouts (Youngs, and some random canned 6pack with a cow on it), a pilsner (Warsteiner, I liked it, kind of clean and crisp, like a lager with more personality), and a milk stout (Southern Tier). I try to order something new every time I go out, based on what I liked before. The most intense one I ever tried was this crazy Belgian thing called Gulden Draak, which was 10 bucks a bottle but was really good. It was sweet and carbonated. I could tell there were some other flavors but I couldn't really figure them out. Anyway, I looked through the past ten pages or so of the thread, and I saw some beers I thought I would like, such as Brown Sugga, Split Shot Espresso, Jester King's Black Metal, etc, but I'm in Providence, and the only non-macro beers in stores around here are usually just Harpoon or Naragansett (local lager). Where can I find more good stuff outside bars?
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Nov 18, 2012 02:11
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WAMPA_STOMPA posted:Where can I find more good stuff outside bars? A quick Internet search shows that there are a ton of wine and beer shops in your area- ever tried Wine and More or Nikki's? Both of their websites look promising
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Nov 18, 2012 02:50
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Been aging a 2012 Bigfoot. The hoppiness has given way to a nice honey sweetness. I've got five more bottles to go, might crack one every two months or so to see what else develops. Also socked away packs of Narwhal and Hibernation for a rainy day. 
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Nov 18, 2012 02:58
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FOBAB. Too much stuff to list. And even when it wasn't great, anything we had was interesting. Of particular note: - GI's Cherry Rye is going to be insane, hype-wise. And worth it. A top tier fruit beer. Very excited to get a bottle, if that's possible. - Near it was Bells Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout (very good) and Sun King's Kentucky Cherry Bomb. We drank a lot of cherry beers. All were great. - Avery's Uncle Jacobs is what the Bruery wants to do with Black Tuesday: a huge BA'd stout. Unlike BT though, this doesn't taste like bad bourbon poured into an overly big stout. Glad I have a bottle of this. - FW's Velvet Merkin tastes like milk. Fantastic, and there's no way I expected that having tried the base beer. However, Lil Opal tastes like A1 sauce. Yeah... - Lost Abbey Track 8 and 9. 8 placed overall (maybe won; wasn't paying a lot of attention) but it was overly raisin flavored. 9 was great. Sour, delicious. - CCB's Peach Humidor IPA. I prefer the non peach version, but it smelled better than any beer I think I've ever smelled in my life. - Perennial Barrel Aged Abraxus. Would have been great if they toned down the cinnamon. - Wine barrel Bourbon County. gently caress I wish they would bottle this. Acidic in the best way. - Barrel Aged Batch 9000. The best thing I drank today. A top tier BA'd beer. This is one of those things that justify festivals like this. Overall, good time.
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Nov 18, 2012 03:20
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WAMPA_STOMPA posted:but I'm in Providence, and the only non-macro beers in stores around here are usually just Harpoon or Naragansett (local lager). I know RI is small, but Providence is, like, a legit city, last I checked. Google searching "craft beer providence RI" brings up plenty of results. I randomly clicked on "Bottles" and not only do they have what looks like a decent selection, but they have tastings, which is an awesome way to get to try different styles. In any case, around this area (I'm in Central MA) you should be able to find plenty of places selling Sam Adams, Harpoon, and Long Trail -- and between those you can try a ton of different styles without paying a ton of dough. I mean, I'm on a bit of an anti-Sam Adams kick of late, just because there's so much else out there to buy, but you could do much worse for a tour of styles than just to grab a different 6-pack of their beer every month.
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Nov 18, 2012 03:22
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WAMPA_STOMPA posted:Where can I find more good stuff outside bars? Nikki's Liquors in RI, or Yankee Spirits / Chris Gasbarro's on Route 1 in Attleboro, Mass. Bring lots of money.
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Nov 18, 2012 03:26
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Any of you VA beer goons go to the Hardywood Gingerbread Stout release? I really want to trade for a bottle of it!
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Nov 18, 2012 04:10
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Stopped by Boneyard the other day. Man what a fine brewery. It's basically in a shed on a dead-end street in the middle of a residential neighborhood and they put out constantly amazing beer in any variety, most recently the Backbone chocolate espresso stout that succeeds in being incredibly chocolatey and yummy without having a massive abv (about 6%). It's funny how much they need to expand though, their current place is completely packed with fermenters and they're just barely keeping up with demand for their baseline IPA. They're opening a bigger production facility up in the north of town somewhere but I have a feeling Portland is going to take in all that output pretty much instantly.
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Nov 18, 2012 06:14
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SUPER HASSLER posted:Stopped by Boneyard the other day. Man what a fine brewery. It's basically in a shed on a dead-end street in the middle of a residential neighborhood and they put out constantly amazing beer in any variety, most recently the Backbone chocolate espresso stout that succeeds in being incredibly chocolatey and yummy without having a massive abv (about 6%). Yeah, they are terrific. They got a lot of love really quickly for their IPAs, but everything they make is excellent. I'm going to miss the Bourbon Barrel Suge Knight at Bailey's tonight because I'm stuck at home with the meat sweats.  SUPER HASSLER posted:It's funny how much they need to expand though, their current place is completely packed with fermenters and they're just barely keeping up with demand for their baseline IPA. They're opening a bigger production facility up in the north of town somewhere...  SUPER HASSLER posted:but I have a feeling Portland is going to take in all that output pretty much instantly.  I can only hope. They also need to brew more Hop Venom and Notorious.
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Nov 18, 2012 07:23
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Kudosx posted:Any of you VA beer goons go to the Hardywood Gingerbread Stout release? It's gonna be fairly easy for those of us in the distribution area to get, so, assuming i have the funds to buy a shitload after I take care of people I already trade with,, we can work something out. The trade value is kinda crazy for the moment, definitely don't try going through any of the big beer forums for it (I've already got what I feel are two really unbalanced trades lined up)
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Nov 18, 2012 14:20
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Julio Cesar Fatass posted:Been aging a 2012 Bigfoot. The hoppiness has given way to a nice honey sweetness. I've got five more bottles to go, might crack one every two months or so to see what else develops. Man, you gotta age that poo poo for a couple years- had a 98 this summer and it was insanely good (Sorry for the double post, using my sister's iPad)
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Nov 18, 2012 14:25
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Went to a local bar last night and they really upped their tap list. Last night I had: -Dogfish Head Bitches Brew, on-tap this reminded me more of the earlier bottles, more honey and fruit notes than the chocolate coffee thing in the latest release. -Great Divide Barrel Aged Hibernation Ale, this was a huge let-down, there was some weird flavor I couldn't describe that just tasted off. -Weyerbacher X-Ray, which is their hopped up porter they added lots of Fuggles to I guess, but it was pretty bland overall. -Founders Breakfast Stout, which has mellowed out a little, they've had this keg for drat near two months before tapping so the coffee doesn't kick you in the mouth. -Great Lakes Noferatu, which is excellent They have Mad Elf, Chicory Stout, and Burton Baton on tap next, among some others. I'm pretty proud that they are finally getting decent stuff on tap. They have 23 taps dedicated to craft beer, which is a huge step from just having BMC and Edmund Fitzgerald+some Harpoon beer on tap.
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Nov 18, 2012 15:35
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Currently looking for where I can buy Great Lakes Christmas Ale. You would think it would be easy to find in Ohio, but apparently the stores don't want to stock it.
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Nov 18, 2012 17:58
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Drythe posted:Currently looking for where I can buy Great Lakes Christmas Ale. You would think it would be easy to find in Ohio, but apparently the stores don't want to stock it. What part of Ohio?
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Nov 18, 2012 18:05
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Mahoning posted:What part of Ohio? Central Columbus by campus.
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Nov 18, 2012 18:13
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Drythe posted:Central Columbus by campus. Is there a Giant Eagle close? They usually have tons of Xmas Ale
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Nov 18, 2012 18:35
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Drythe posted:Currently looking for where I can buy Great Lakes Christmas Ale. You would think it would be easy to find in Ohio, but apparently the stores don't want to stock it. It usually drops on Wednesday or Thursday and it's gone by Saturday at the latest. The number of cases stores are receiving each week since the beginning of the month have dwindled from 60 to 15 to 10. Not sure if any more will be out next week. Great Lakes just doesn't have the capacity to keep up with demand, and I wonder if they would if they could because they have to love they hype. And hype is even hypier if people are empty-handed. What you could do is say "gently caress the hype" and enjoy some Thirsty Dog 12 Dogs instead. It's actually the original Great Lakes Christmas Ale recipe, seeing as how Thirsty Dog was started by the Great Lakes brewmaster, and he took the recipe with him. AND it's one dollar cheaper and I believe a bit stronger. Or Southern Tier's 2XMAS, which is spiced quite phenomenally. Or any of the other dozens of Christmas Ales that are out right now. Or wait until the middle of next week and try your luck again. But please don't blame the stores...blame the hype. Mahoning posted:It was actually in the comments of another post. Some random guy commented on something and said "Yeah but when are you gonna start bottling Bodhi?" And they actually responded with late January/Early February. SHAKY DEFENSE fucked around with this message at 18:54 on Nov 18, 2012 |
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Nov 18, 2012 18:51
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SHAKY DEFENSE posted:
That was quite insightful, thank you. I had tried it on tap a few days ago and it was quite delicious. I'll try searching for some Thirsty Dog if I can't find Great Lakes anywhere. I've never had Christmas ale before and I kinda wish it was available year round now.
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Nov 18, 2012 19:04
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Tried a Muskoka Winter Beard yesterday. It ruled. I had one once two years ago and thought the flavours were overwhelming but the 2012 batch seems way more subtle. It's holiday dessert in a bottle of stout. Super smooth, but bitter dark chocolate taste with just a hint of cranberry at the end. It's expensive but I'd totally love a bottle or two to pop on Christmas.
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Nov 19, 2012 00:25
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funkybottoms posted:Man, you gotta age that poo poo for a couple years- had a 98 this summer and it was insanely good Oh, no poo poo? I guess I'll crack my next bottle open in six months, not two. I gotta quit drinking so much loving beer anyway. e: I've heard there are wines that shouldn't be drunk until years after they're bottled. Are there beers that can be too fresh?
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Nov 19, 2012 06:15
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Julio Cesar Fatass posted:e: I've heard there are wines that shouldn't be drunk until years after they're bottled. Are there beers that can be too fresh? Deschutes usually puts a "Best After" date on their reserve series beers (Dissident, Black Butte Anniversaries, Abyss). Hair of the Dog encourages people to age their beers, people have had some great results cellaring their beers for 10+ years before opening them. Some beers can be too boozy or hot fresh and taste better with some age on them.
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Nov 19, 2012 06:23
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Julio Cesar Fatass posted:Oh, no poo poo? I guess I'll crack my next bottle open in six months, not two. I gotta quit drinking so much loving beer anyway. Crack one every two years. It'll last longer and do more interesting things. I had '86 Bigfoot a couple of years ago and it was still fantastic. poo poo just plain does not go bad with age. One of my friends had a housewarming so I took over a bunch of old and new beers to help celebrate. Most of those were ones that age well. This year's Abyss is pretty solid straight out of the bottle, but six months or so will make it outstanding. 2010 is still my favorite year, I think, but that may change once 2012 has matured. 2012 Angels Share from Lost Abbey is doing far better than I expected and should be about perfect next Christmas; thankfully I still have four bottles to hold until then. 2012 Black Tuesday is the same big, dumb chocolate frosted sugar bomb of a beer as last year's, it's fine to drink now or in a few years. White Chocolate still tastes like waffle cone. As a general rule of thumb, the higher the ABV the more likely a beer is to age well. If the beer is hop-heavy it won't age well because hops degrade quickly, but there are a ton of exceptions to that - DFH 120 Minute ages interestingly, and American barleywines are all hoppy as hell to start with and age great. Be cautious about aging beers heavy in dark malts like stouts. Some aging is frequently good, but too much and they'll start to develop soy sauce-like flavors and go downhill rapidly. Most ~10% stouts can go six months without a worry, some way longer.
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Nov 19, 2012 07:56
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attackmole posted:Tried a Muskoka Winter Beard yesterday. It ruled. I had one once two years ago and thought the flavours were overwhelming but the 2012 batch seems way more subtle. It's holiday dessert in a bottle of stout. Super smooth, but bitter dark chocolate taste with just a hint of cranberry at the end. It's expensive but I'd totally love a bottle or two to pop on Christmas. They have a pretty good double IPA now. Twice As Mad Tom.
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Nov 19, 2012 09:18
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Sup guys. I'm going to go get some Abrasive today and you aren't.
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Nov 19, 2012 14:38
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bartolimu posted:Be cautious about aging beers heavy in dark malts like stouts. Some aging is frequently good, but too much and they'll start to develop soy sauce-like flavors and go downhill rapidly. Most ~10% stouts can go six months without a worry, some way longer. Seconding this. Yesterday I tried a Great Lakes Blackout Stout from last year and it did not stand the test of time. Very cloying soy sauce flavor.
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Nov 19, 2012 15:40
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ExtremistCow posted:Seconding this. Yesterday I tried a Great Lakes Blackout Stout from last year and it did not stand the test of time. Very cloying soy sauce flavor. Founders Imperial Stout is maybe my favorite beer, but once you get past a year and a half... yeah, total soy sauce. obviously there are others that age gracefully, so i've got to wonder what's different about them.
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Nov 19, 2012 16:09
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nuncle jimbo posted:Sup guys. I'm going to go get some Abrasive today and you aren't. Actually, I think I will.
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Nov 19, 2012 16:20
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I got 2 4-packs of BCS today. This poo poo better be good Also picked up some Brown Sugga and a SA gingerbread stout. In the very least I'll be very drunk.
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Nov 19, 2012 17:45
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Captain Shortbus posted:I got 2 4-packs of BCS today. This poo poo better be good The best. You won't be disappointed.
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Nov 19, 2012 18:16
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I'm actually a little excited to try the SA gingerbread. Maybe tonight.
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Nov 19, 2012 18:17
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