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wattershed posted:RR Sanctification - what's a good amount of time to age a bottle, or is it a 'drink it now' sorta thing? I'm guessing the former but I haven't had it before and am curious how it develops. I know a store that had Utopias a few months back but I have almost no interest in it so I just kept walking. No clue what they were selling it for.
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Dec 9, 2012 12:07
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b c n u posted:Apparently the Dark Horse 4 Elf party was a complete disaster. All the butthurt douchebags complaining about it on BA does make for entertaining reading, though. I was there, over 350+ people showed up and Bourbon Barrel Plead the Fifth ran out around 260, which means you had to show up an hour and a half earlier than when tokens were available. The line for bottles was extremely long and with people buying cases of beer, it took forever. The smart people got their token, got out of line to enjoy the party, and jumped back in line as their number was close to being in the front I'd go again next year, if that's any indication how "bad" it was. I definitely think they could improve the process by letting people place orders and announcing when a set of them are ready. Corb3t fucked around with this message at 16:10 on Dec 9, 2012 |
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Dec 9, 2012 16:07
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crazyfish posted:Today I checked off Weyerbacher Double Simcoe and Bear Republic Racer 5, and both of them really made me wish the respective breweries dated their bottles so I had some kind of reference as to what the beers were supposed to be. When did Weyerbacher switch to the new labels? I made sure to grab a new label four pack at least, though the store had a 750 with the old. Weyerbacher dates their bottles, it's in a stamp above their label and will read something like: 112312 052312 The top is the bottling date, the bottom is the best before date. Bear Republic started dating as well, or has been, but here's what Fresh Beer Only says: Bear Republic: Uses a bottling date. The code is printed below the label on the glass. It is easiest to see if you hold the bottle upside down by the neck. First 6 digits of the bottom line are the bottling date in DD/MM/YY format.
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Dec 9, 2012 16:29
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Angry Grimace posted:I would say "sharing is caring," but you probably bought everything good. Sharing IS caring. Check your inbox. I'm running out of cellar space, anyone recommend a large (100+ bottle) wine fridge or something along those lines? I can sell that easily to the wife as it'll free up some space where we keep our reds.
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Dec 9, 2012 17:54
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wattershed posted:Sharing IS caring. Check your inbox. You can go a couple routes, I wouldn't recommend a wine fridge though: -Chest Freezer with a $50 thermostat from Craigslist (extremely cheap) -Freezerless Fridge like this: http://m.searsoutlet.com/16-7-cu-ft...lectionType=all
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Dec 9, 2012 18:06
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Bag of Sun Chips posted:You can go a couple routes, I wouldn't recommend a wine fridge though: My chest freezer's used for my kegs, and I could get another but it's a little annoying to deal with a lot of bottles given things have to get stacked and there's always the risk of bottles breaking when you're moving crates around, etc. I haven't dismissed a second chest freezer but I think I'm at the point where I would spend a little more to get a larger wine fridge that doesn't force me to play plastic crate jenga if I want something in the bottom of the storage unit, whichever type of appliance that ends up being.
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Dec 9, 2012 19:53
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Midorka posted:Weyerbacher dates their bottles, it's in a stamp above their label and will read something like: I didn't find the stamp on any of my Weyerbacher bottles (maybe I didn't look hard enough), but I did find the Bear Republic one eventually - it was near the base of the bottle, and told me that I bought year-old Racer 5. Sounds like I need another one. edit: Just took out a flashlight and went over every inch of a Double Simcoe bottle and I still can't find the date. crazyfish fucked around with this message at 21:35 on Dec 9, 2012 |
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Dec 9, 2012 21:30
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Might have rubbed off, sometimes they are stamped horribly as well and are a stretched mess.
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Dec 9, 2012 21:39
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Dating bottles can be a huge pain in the rear end that takes a lot of trial and error to get right. We've been screwed by some people for our dating hardware.
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Dec 9, 2012 21:55
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Docjowles posted:For some reason I'm compelled to ask... what unit does lovely malt liquor come in in Florida, then? Bombers? Tall boys? It drives me nuts they've got this beer practically year round and I've never even tried it despite the fact that GI technically distributes here.
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Dec 9, 2012 22:06
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Angry Grimace posted:It drives me nuts they've got this beer practically year round and I've never even tried it despite the fact that GI technically distributes here. Year Round? No. This is the first year in 3 where I saw more than one 4 pack on the shelves. Last year, every drop I drank was a random tap or a bottle I got off somebody. And I live 3 miles from the brewery.
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Dec 9, 2012 22:22
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Anybody try Heiner Brau? Little brewery in Covington, La. They make a good lager called Maerzen. Very bready. I recommend 'em.
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Dec 9, 2012 22:41
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In Chicago, last year, I paid north of $40 for a 4 pack of 2011 BCBS from a bottle shop, mostly because I had never had it before and absolutely everywhere else was long sold out. That poo poo went fast. This year, the same stores that tried pricing at $50/4 got told to gently caress off due to the drastically increased supply. After having 2011 BCBS on tap a couple months after buying said bottles, I regretted nothing. edit: Wound up buying a little over a case this year for myself, and probably a couple cases more either for trades or muling. If I see any more around at a fair price, I certainly won't turn it down... crazyfish fucked around with this message at 23:23 on Dec 9, 2012 |
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Dec 9, 2012 23:17
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Drinking a fresh Single-Wide IPA. Does Boulevard make anything that doesn't completely own? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWW-SlLEp8o edit:  
TenaciousTomato fucked around with this message at 23:35 on Dec 9, 2012 |
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Dec 9, 2012 23:26
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TenaciousTomato posted:Drinking a fresh Single-Wide IPA. Does Boulevard make anything that doesn't completely own? Chocolate Ale. Also, I wasn't a fan of fresh bourbon barrel quad (too much barrel, not enough quad) but I hear that it ages extremely well.
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Dec 9, 2012 23:28
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wattershed posted:My chest freezer's used for my kegs, and I could get another but it's a little annoying to deal with a lot of bottles given things have to get stacked and there's always the risk of bottles breaking when you're moving crates around, etc. I haven't dismissed a second chest freezer but I think I'm at the point where I would spend a little more to get a larger wine fridge that doesn't force me to play plastic crate jenga if I want something in the bottom of the storage unit, whichever type of appliance that ends up being. I just think most people don't recommend wine fridges because you shouldn't place bottles on their side unless it's corked. Granted, there are some wine fridges that have adjustable shelves that will let you place bottles upright.
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Dec 9, 2012 23:41
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danbanana posted:Year Round? No. This is the first year in 3 where I saw more than one 4 pack on the shelves. Last year, every drop I drank was a random tap or a bottle I got off somebody. And I live 3 miles from the brewery. I didn't mean that literally, but wasn't there an article that said GI was going to take BCBS year round?
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Dec 10, 2012 00:23
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Angry Grimace posted:I didn't mean that literally, but wasn't there an article that said GI was going to take BCBS year round? There's rumors. And this year (I would bet) saw the highest output ever for it. But while there's still places where I can buy it off the shelf, that's after an initial release that saw plenty of regional shortages and gouging. Before it became evident how much was released around the area, I admit to paying $8 a bottle in a place simply because I had no guarantee of seeing it again. Overall, Chicago ended up spoiled enough to see thrones built. But it is a hometown beer...
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Dec 10, 2012 00:35
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Tri-reply time!crazyfish posted:Chocolate Ale. Also, I wasn't a fan of fresh bourbon barrel quad (too much barrel, not enough quad) but I hear that it ages extremely well. Also, whatever they have available in their place in the KC airport. Tried a few different things in there on an unfortunately long layover. It was all their generic offerings, which seems odd in a place where you have one shot to make a lasting impression to a lot of travelers who are crossing through. Stone's going to have a place in the SD airport soon and I'm really hoping they don't pull the same move. Basically I just wanted a reason to post that KC's airport is loving terrible and if you know you'll have a 1+ hour layover for your sanity I implore everyone to take a different route if possible. Angry Grimace posted:I didn't mean that literally, but wasn't there an article that said GI was going to take BCBS year round? Yep, I remember posting it in an iteration of this thread. Perhaps it'll start next year, or whenever we reach the payoff of the ramp-up of their barrel-aging program. Bag of Sun Chips posted:I just think most people don't recommend wine fridges because you shouldn't place bottles on their side unless it's corked. Granted, there are some wine fridges that have adjustable shelves that will let you place bottles upright. Other than the increased surface space for oxidization, is there any other reason? I modified the shelves in my wine fridge to make it where the non-corked bottles are at a very slight angle to keep the O2 off the beer as much as possible, and left the shelves with corked bottles alone to keep them wet.
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Dec 10, 2012 00:37
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Midorka posted:Might have rubbed off, sometimes they are stamped horribly as well and are a stretched mess. Dug through the fridge, found another bottle, and, with some strange angling of my flashlight, was able to find the bottle date! Turns out my Double Simcoe is under a month old, so I'm pretty happy. I would rather drink Ruination, but I'm glad I got this four pack.
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Dec 10, 2012 01:52
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In the middle of a Fantome Pissenlit - it's a saison brewed with dandelions, and goddamn if it isn't almost more like gueze than a saison. Delicious. A nearby store has Fantome Hiver - anyone had this? Worth picking it up?
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Dec 10, 2012 04:36
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TenaciousTomato posted:Drinking a fresh Single-Wide IPA. Does Boulevard make anything that doesn't completely own? Not that I'm a huge witbier fan or anything but I'm not sure I've ever finished a ZÔN.
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Dec 10, 2012 05:06
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XxGirlKisserxX posted:Dating bottles can be a huge pain in the rear end that takes a lot of trial and error to get right. We've been screwed by some people for our dating hardware. This is true of lots of places. Goose Island thankfully has that poo poo pretty well handled, but the brewery I worked at in Denmark had constant problems with both bottle and box dating. Sometimes it's really not for lack of trying. As for Bourbon County, you'd better believe we're producing way more than we ever have before. It's getting hammered out as much as we can right now. Just remember that distributors and sales guys have far more control over that than the guys who actually produce the beer. Had two nice beers with my friend Adam (the guy on the BCBS throne above) tonight at Norse Bar in Chicago. Lagunitas Brown Shugga is far better than I remember it, a really nicely balanced and delicious strong ale that's stupidly drinkable for how strong it is. I'm tempted to get a sixer for home, but that might be dangerous. Stone IPA is still a good example of the most bitter and dry side of IPA, really aromatic and bitter. And for recovering his rare Throbbing Gristle set from the brewery, he gave me a bottle of King Henry from his cellar. 
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Dec 10, 2012 05:54
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Hey, so I could really use some help getting a bit more into sour beers. What I've tried, I've loved, but I don't quite know how to go about figuring out what to go for next or how to source it. All that's available locally and consistently is Lindeman's and that doesn't really do a lot for me in the way of excitement. I've had some La Folie, which was stocked at the local god-drat Whole Foods for a little bit but has been absent since, tried a couple of bottle of some very generically bottled "flemish sour ale" (way to brand) that was flat and unappealing (but it could have just sat on the shelf for a long time, the bottles were pretty dusty) and a single beautiful glass of Hanssens Artisanaal Oude Kriek. The Lindeman's I've had was alright, but boring, I would drink La Folie any day of the week, but the Hanssens was loving amazing, at the very least in terms of my limited sour beer experience. I guess I shouldn't have expected anything different to come out of the experience, but I could really do with some advice on where to look and what to look for. Apologies if this is too vague to even legitimize a response. If locale helps at all, I'm going to be in Albemarle country, VA for at least the immediate future so maybe someone from my neck of the woods might know some brick'n'mortars I'm woefully ignorant of. Edit: To clarify - I'd like to broaden my sour beer horizons, and also maybe find a few things in the same vein along the way. Especially with the holidays coming around, I'd love a chance to nestle up in front of a tv playing a video of a fireplace and drown myself in whatever funky, sour libations within reach. Dunno if I'll be able to make that happen in time but we'll see I suppose. IGotMine fucked around with this message at 09:22 on Dec 10, 2012 |
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Dec 10, 2012 09:10
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IGotMine posted:Hey, so I could really use some help getting a bit more into sour beers. What I've tried, I've loved, but I don't quite know how to go about figuring out what to go for next or how to source it. the sort of standard starter sours that are fairly well-distributed are Monk's Cafe, Duchesse de Bourgogne (these first two are on the sweeter side), Rodenbach (which is pretty much La Folie), Petrus Aged Pale and Oud Bruin, Hanssens Oude Gueuze, Lindemans Gueuze Cuvee Rene. Girardin, Tilquin, and Mikkeller's Spontan- beers might also be available to you (avoid Spontanwildstrawberry, though). i have no doubt that you'd be able to find a number of those at Beer Run in Charlottesville, just make sure you check out the room in the back, that's where a lot of the imported beers are stashed. apparently Blue Mountain in Afton has a sour in the works, but the rumor is that it will be really limited, so maybe something to keep in mind if you've considered trading beer. not sour, but Wolf Hills (not Wild Wolf) is a drat good brewery, try their stuff if you get a chance.
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Dec 10, 2012 12:09
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blue.eyed.ash posted:In the middle of a Fantome Pissenlit - it's a saison brewed with dandelions, and goddamn if it isn't almost more like gueze than a saison. Delicious. I have, and yes it is if you have the scratch. I went to the Pretty Things old beers launch at a bar in Allston, MA last night and tried pretty much everything. The mild was fantastic, and I loved the cask eipa (I had previously had the bottled version when it was last released) and enjoyed the KK as well. If anyone is interested I can pick up some bottles for trade as I believe it is MA only.
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Dec 10, 2012 14:34
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Last night I shared a bottle of barrel-aged Dogfather. I liked it a lot - the oakiness and bourbon seemed well-balanced, and it was smooth smooth smooth.
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Dec 10, 2012 15:06
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Not that many people know of River Horse, nor would most people here consider drinking their beers if they came to their area, but I have to say avoid any Belgian beer they make. I'm guessing they have no idea how fermentation temps work, or have no temperature control and always ferment too high, but all of their Belgian beers are loving banana liquor tasting bombs. Absolutely gross, I drain poured their Tripel last night and did the same with their Belgian Freeze a week ago. Their Oatmeal Milk Stout is excellent though.
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Dec 10, 2012 15:57
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blue.eyed.ash posted:In the middle of a Fantome Pissenlit - it's a saison brewed with dandelions, and goddamn if it isn't almost more like gueze than a saison. Delicious. I've had Hiver and it was very good. I think the recipe changes every year though so YMMV.
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Dec 10, 2012 16:21
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funkybottoms posted:the sort of standard starter sours that are fairly well-distributed are Monk's Cafe, Duchesse de Bourgogne (these first two are on the sweeter side), Rodenbach (which is pretty much La Folie), Petrus Aged Pale and Oud Bruin, Hanssens Oude Gueuze, Lindemans Gueuze Cuvee Rene. Girardin, Tilquin, and Mikkeller's Spontan- beers might also be available to you (avoid Spontanwildstrawberry, though). i have no doubt that you'd be able to find a number of those at Beer Run in Charlottesville, just make sure you check out the room in the back, that's where a lot of the imported beers are stashed. Let me add to this list that Cuvee de Jacobins is one of the best relatively easy to find sours; its also on the more tart side than sweet.
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Dec 10, 2012 17:59
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cryme posted:I've had Hiver and it was very good. I think the recipe changes every year though so YMMV. The Untappd comments on this year's version make me a little hesitant, but if I find myself over by that shop while they still have it in stock, I'll probably give it a shot.
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Dec 10, 2012 19:07
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I just emailed the beer and wine shop across the river in Kentucky asking about BCBS and they told me they got some in 3 weeks ago and sold out in 3 days and won't be getting anymore. 
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Dec 10, 2012 19:52
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wattershed posted:Other than the increased surface space for oxidization, is there any other reason? I modified the shelves in my wine fridge to make it where the non-corked bottles are at a very slight angle to keep the O2 off the beer as much as possible, and left the shelves with corked bottles alone to keep them wet. quote:The plastic argument also doesn’t hold much water with our lab analysis. The plastic lining in cans can scalp flavor but crown liners can scalp as much, or more, than can liners. The plastic under a crown is more dense than can-liners and can have a far more detrimental effect on flavor, specifically hop flavor. Our research shows little-to-slight deviation in longevity and hop aroma trials over extended aging. In fact, it gives a slight edge to cans at 120 days.
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Dec 10, 2012 21:39
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Oh hell I forgot totally about Beer Run - last time I went in there was right when they opened, since I've spent most of the interim up in MA. I'll need to go back and check out their selection. Now I just feel sort of silly for forgetting about the one place nearby that has a really healthy selection. Thanks for shaking me out of my stupor. I'll check out your suggestions.
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Dec 10, 2012 22:00
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Midorka posted:Not that many people know of River Horse, nor would most people here consider drinking their beers if they came to their area, but I have to say avoid any Belgian beer they make. I'm guessing they have no idea how fermentation temps work, or have no temperature control and always ferment too high, but all of their Belgian beers are loving banana liquor tasting bombs. Absolutely gross, I drain poured their Tripel last night and did the same with their Belgian Freeze a week ago. that's odd, as I recall the Freeze was the only thing they made that I thought was decent enough to have a second time. The oatmeal stout is fine, but it's a buck more than Left Hand Milk Stout, and it's not any tastier, so I only bought it the once. e: and the brewery, I don't even know. I didn't do the tour so maybe that's really good (it's not) but the tasting room is basically all the ambiance of standing around drinking in someone's shed that they slapped some drywall up into. It's loud if 3 people are talking, there are honestly I think 4 stools, 2 counters, and when I was there there were 60 people. And the beers sell at regular retail price for bottles (if for some stupid reason you want to take some home,) there are no free tastes unless maybe they offer one after you do the tour, and the pours at the sad little bar are like regular bar price, which is pretty cozy since they have like 0 overhead. And they do the lovely tiny glass pour, too. Triumph is a bit of a chain, and I know some people don't like it, but there is one like 2 miles from River Horse and it is 100% better to visit. e 2: wow I did not know I had that much to say about that. Arnold of Soissons fucked around with this message at 22:53 on Dec 10, 2012 |
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Dec 10, 2012 22:46
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I ate at a Triumph and the food was great and the beer was decent, it's got the same value as an Iron Hill for me.
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Dec 11, 2012 00:10
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IGotMine posted:Oh hell I forgot totally about Beer Run - last time I went in there was right when they opened, since I've spent most of the interim up in MA. I'll need to go back and check out their selection. Now I just feel sort of silly for forgetting about the one place nearby that has a really healthy selection. of course. Beer Run is a drat fine shop, and since the distribution is a little different than here in Richmond, i know a fair amount of folks who make, well, beer runs out there on a somewhat-regular basis. for example, we do not get any Foothills here, but they had BA Sexual Chocolate on draught recently, so you would be wise to follow their facebook page.
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Dec 11, 2012 00:48
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Midorka posted:Not that many people know of River Horse, nor would most people here consider drinking their beers if they came to their area, but I have to say avoid any Belgian beer they make. This is truth. I grew up in Burlington County and went back home to visit a couple months ago and grabbed anything even remotely local to bring back down south with me. We poured way more River Horse beers than I care to think about. Flying Fish exit series owns though. And everything I had at Iron Hill was absolutely amazing.
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Dec 11, 2012 04:19
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fullroundaction posted:This is truth. I grew up in Burlington County and went back home to visit a couple months ago and grabbed anything even remotely local to bring back down south with me. We poured way more River Horse beers than I care to think about. Yeah Flying Fish really nails their Exit series, shame their year round panders to entry level drinkers. Iron Hill though their beer is always mediocre to me, nothing has ever stood out.
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Dec 11, 2012 04:42
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Midorka posted:Yeah Flying Fish really nails their Exit series, shame their year round panders to entry level drinkers. Iron Hill though their beer is always mediocre to me, nothing has ever stood out. Depends on which one you go to - the seasonals and one offs can be pretty good at the ones in Media & Wilmington.
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Dec 11, 2012 04:50
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