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Alesmith's Barrel-Aged Old Numbskull was my beer last night, and it did not disappoint. I tried not to think about the price point ($27 for a 750ml), and instead focused on the slightly vinegar nose upon opening which quickly dissipated into a melange of vanilla, oak, fig, brandy, bourbon, cola, butterscotch and caramel. Reminded me of a much smoother Double DBA, in fact. Old Numbskull can hold its own as a barleywine, but with the barrel aging behind it it gets much beefier and robust. Definitely going to get some smoky gouda and chocolate for the next bottle. Alesmith doesn't age too many of their beers, but when they do it the beer usually comes out awesome. In other news, if you read The Mad Fermentationist you know he's working with a guy named Jacob here in San Diego on opening up a new brewery, Modern Times Beer. Anyway, yesterday morning MTB unveiled their can designs:  If the beer tastes anywhere near as nice as the cans look, jesus christ. You wonder like Three Floyds is dicking with their Insane Clown Posse-ish art when this is possible.
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Jan 23, 2013 18:41
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Ugh. "HOPPY - DANK." Can we stop using "dank" as a flavor descriptor? It makes half the people out there think of a moldy basement, and the other half go TEE HEE THAT MEANS IT TASTES LIKE WEED. It's a lovely term for beer. Those are drat classy cans, though.
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Jan 23, 2013 18:48
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wattershed posted:Alesmith's Barrel-Aged Old Numbskull was my beer last night, and it did not disappoint. I tried not to think about the price point ($27 for a 750ml), and instead focused on the slightly vinegar nose upon opening which quickly dissipated into a melange of vanilla, oak, fig, brandy, bourbon, cola, butterscotch and caramel. Reminded me of a much smoother Double DBA, in fact. Old Numbskull can hold its own as a barleywine, but with the barrel aging behind it it gets much beefier and robust. Definitely going to get some smoky gouda and chocolate for the next bottle. Alesmith doesn't age too many of their beers, but when they do it the beer usually comes out awesome. I don't know if you saw the Modern Times founder's quote about all-natural ingredients and hand-made beer: quote:Our beer will not be brewed with the finest all-natural ingredients, nor will it be made by hand. These are meaningless clichés trotted out when a brand has nothing to say. There is no “natural” or “unnatural” malt. “Finest” doesn’t mean anything. And the notion that commercial beer is made by hand—or that “handmade” is a positive attribute in beer—is a fallacy. 
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Jan 23, 2013 18:49
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Mahoning posted:I don't know if you saw the Modern Times founder's quote about all-natural ingredients and hand-made beer: There's kind of a good point there, though - A lot of the stuff you hear about "all-natural" and "handcrafted" is pure marketing speak, because most breweries use the same ingredient sources, with similar equipment and similar processes. Then again, anybody who says "brand" rather than "beer" may have already been taken over by the Marketing Pod People.
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Jan 23, 2013 19:02
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RiggenBlaque posted:Has anyone been to Otto's in State College, PA? I like their beer but their food is an absolute nightmare, I have no idea how they are so insanely popular. When I went out to State College with my alum friends, they wanted to take me there but it was closed for a private party  If you haven't been yet, I will absolutely recommend Zeno's - it is a basement dive but has an astounding selection both on tap and bottled (my buddy got started drinking craft beer there on a bartender recommendation) at college student prices, and a really fun vibe besides.
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Jan 23, 2013 19:07
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Podima posted:When I went out to State College with my alum friends, they wanted to take me there but it was closed for a private party Also any Zeno's beer they have, as in Zeno's Rye, is made by Otto's. I've never been that impressed with anything Otto's has brewed, and I think a lot of its popularity is from being a hometown brewery at Penn State. Zeno's is great though, the bartenders know their stuff, and the Hop Shop gets in a lot of beer that you wouldn't expect to see in PA.
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Jan 23, 2013 19:28
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Podima posted:When I went out to State College with my alum friends, they wanted to take me there but it was closed for a private party I've been there a couple times and liked it, but Otto's is literally across the road from whom I visit in State College, so it's hard to justify going anywhere else. Their beer is good and its like $4 / 20 oz pint, so it's definitely worth a visit if you're ever back there.
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Jan 23, 2013 19:29
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There's a nice article on Hill Farmstead expanding and a little information about the brewery in general. It seems Shaun is a very nice and environmentally conscientious guy, I hope he can keep his small operation going the way he wants.
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Jan 23, 2013 20:06
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danbanana posted:Six packs? I mean, I guess they were probably selling the KBS as individual 12 oz bottles and packing them in whatever but... 6 packs of CBS bombers? Perhaps it was just the KBS, I didn't really look all that closely.
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Jan 23, 2013 20:21
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RiggenBlaque posted:I've been there a couple times and liked it, but Otto's is literally across the road from whom I visit in State College, so it's hard to justify going anywhere else. Their beer is good and its like $4 / 20 oz pint, so it's definitely worth a visit if you're ever back there. Indeed, both are nice. My gf is from State College so I am out there a couple times a year. I have a soft spot for Otto's Red Mo and always grab some when I am out there, it's surprisingly good!
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Jan 23, 2013 22:06
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Have any of you tried Brown Shugga with a few years age on it? I feel like it could age pretty well, while maybe not as good as Bigfoot, I do feel like it has good potential. After all, wasn't it just a messed up batch of Gnarleywine? Speaking of which, I've actually never seen Gnarleywine OR Lagunitas's Imperial Stout for sale in OH... I'm sure they're out there, I've just been missing them.
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Jan 24, 2013 07:02
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Kudosx posted:Have any of you tried Brown Shugga with a few years age on it? I feel like it could age pretty well, while maybe not as good as Bigfoot, I do feel like it has good potential. After all, wasn't it just a messed up batch of Gnarleywine? Speaking of which, I've actually never seen Gnarleywine OR Lagunitas's Imperial Stout for sale in OH... I'm sure they're out there, I've just been missing them. I've had ~8 month old Brown Sugga. It gets duller, but it just turns into sad dull hop taste. Better fresh in my opinion. Ohio gets Gnarleywine occasionally, usually in bombers. I've seen it around here in Medina, at least.
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Jan 24, 2013 07:05
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Kudosx posted:Have any of you tried Brown Shugga with a few years age on it? I feel like it could age pretty well, while maybe not as good as Bigfoot, I do feel like it has good potential. After all, wasn't it just a messed up batch of Gnarleywine? Speaking of which, I've actually never seen Gnarleywine OR Lagunitas's Imperial Stout for sale in OH... I'm sure they're out there, I've just been missing them. I've had Brown Shugga with several years of age. It does not age well at all, IMO. When it is fresh, it tastes like it might age like a barleywine, but it just gets oxidized flavors without developing those awesome aged barleywine characteristics.
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Jan 24, 2013 07:43
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Thanks for the prompt responses guys! I definitely thought it could age like a Barleywine, so I'm kind of glad you both told me otherwise, because I might have picked up an extra six pack to age. I guess I'll just pick up an extra 6 pack of 2012 Bigfoot while they're still around! Speaking of which... I actually drank a 2012 Bigfoot earlier tonight, and drat is it still bitter. I thought after a year some of that would die down, but that's definitely not the case. I bet that stuff tastes unbelievable with 4-5 years on it.
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Jan 24, 2013 07:48
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Kudosx posted:I guess I'll just pick up an extra 6 pack of 2012 Bigfoot while they're still around! Speaking of which... I actually drank a 2012 Bigfoot earlier tonight, and drat is it still bitter. I thought after a year some of that would die down, but that's definitely not the case. I bet that stuff tastes unbelievable with 4-5 years on it. Bigfoot ages amazingly well. I was able to try a vertical of it last year back to 2008 (or maybe it was 2007) and it was enlightening to see how much life the older vintages still had left.
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Jan 24, 2013 08:13
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Clustertruck was fun last night, I had a delicious crawdad po' boy that came with some of the best red beans and rice I've ever had. This is the beer thread though, so how was the beer? I thought they were tapping their Bourbon Barrel I-65 Baltic Porter but it turns out I was a day early. They did have a guest beer by What I do know is that it was an Imperial Stout, our waitress said it was called "Death," and it was 11% ABV. I'm poo poo at giving tasting notes, so the best I can do is say it wasn't too dry, and had a spicy finish (pungent, not hot). I'm guessing the finish had a lot to do with the ABV but I'm no cicerone. I liked it and it went well with the po' boy. runchild fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Jan 24, 2013 |
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Jan 24, 2013 20:44
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Boy the few press releases and such I've read from Modern Times makes me want to jam a hammer into my skull. Lots of clever little smarm and such. You can tell the guy came from Stone. Sure are some awesome looking cans though.
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Jan 24, 2013 20:56
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runchild posted:Clustertruck was fun last night, I had a delicious crawdad po' boy that came with some of the best red beans and rice I've ever had. This is the beer thread though, so how was the beer? I thought they were tapping their Bourbon Barrel I-65 Baltic Porter but it turns out I was a day early. They did have a guest beer by River City Brewing, but what I know about it is pretty limited because a) there are a hell of a lot of places/groups called "River City Brewing" and b) this particular one has a rather underwhelming website. RiverTown did a Four Horsemen series earlier this year. Their version of Death is a RIS with Jolokia peppers. I have a bottle of it at home, but the last time I was in Ohio my shop didn't have the rest of the 4 (Famine, War, Pestilence), so I don't know what they're about. BoredByThis fucked around with this message at 21:04 on Jan 24, 2013 |
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Jan 24, 2013 21:02
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Speaking of IN breweries... A buddy finally got his half-case of Cutter's Bourbon Barrel Aged Empire. The base beer doesn't seem to rate very well (18 in style at RB), but he insists it's one of the best BA'd stouts he's ever had. Excited to take one from him.
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Jan 24, 2013 21:39
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runchild posted:Clustertruck was fun last night, I had a delicious crawdad po' boy that came with some of the best red beans and rice I've ever had. This is the beer thread though, so how was the beer? I thought they were tapping their Bourbon Barrel I-65 Baltic Porter but it turns out I was a day early. They did have a guest beer by River City Brewing, but what I know about it is pretty limited because a) there are a hell of a lot of places/groups called "River City Brewing" and b) this particular one has a rather underwhelming website. Hey man, shot you an email. 20 tap is tapping Bolt Cutter, Devil Dancer, Better Half and Breakfast Stout at 5. Probably meeting a buddy there at 430, email me back if you want to join.
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Jan 24, 2013 21:47
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BoredByThis posted:RiverTown did a Four Horsemen series earlier this year. Their version of Death is a RIS with Jolokia peppers. I have a bottle of it at home, but the last time I was in Ohio my shop didn't have the rest of the 4 (Famine, War, Pestilence), so I don't know what they're about. Huh, I'm pretty sure that's it. Maybe I misheard the waitress, or maybe she told me the wrong brewery name. I'll have to ask more about it next time I'm there. If that's what it was than it didn't really seem that "hot" considering it was brewed with ghost chilies. Thanks for the info!
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Jan 24, 2013 21:53
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Anyone think Bolt Cutter is worth like $20-22 for a bomber? I have access to some, but I just hate spending that much...
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Jan 24, 2013 23:18
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ShaneB posted:Anyone think Bolt Cutter is worth like $20-22 for a bomber? I have access to some, but I just hate spending that much... From what I hear, it's a good beer but it disappoints people because they were hoping it would be the next King Henry or something. I only bought one and haven't opened it yet.
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Jan 24, 2013 23:27
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ShaneB posted:Anyone think Bolt Cutter is worth like $20-22 for a bomber? I have access to some, but I just hate spending that much... It's not worth the price.
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Jan 24, 2013 23:57
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ShaneB posted:Anyone think Bolt Cutter is worth like $20-22 for a bomber? I have access to some, but I just hate spending that much... It's a 750, and I quite liked it.  At $20 I'd probably grab a bottle or two.
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Jan 25, 2013 00:04
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Sirotan posted:It's a 750, and I quite liked it. OK that's 100ml/3.3 more ounces, so it's not pedantic. 
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Jan 25, 2013 00:26
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ShaneB posted:OK that's 100ml/3.3 more ounces, so it's not pedantic. I am just fully satisfying your query, sir. So are you going to buy any or what.
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Jan 25, 2013 00:44
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Sirotan posted:I am just fully satisfying your query, sir. Had some on tap today. It's good, but I wasn't blown away. Then again, I am not much of a barleywine drinker so I may not be the best judge. Better Half, on the other hand, was absolutely foul. Pretty disappointing for Founders, really.
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Jan 25, 2013 00:52
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ShaneB posted:OK that's 100ml/3.3 more ounces, so it's not pedantic. I have a bottle if you wanna try it.
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Jan 25, 2013 01:26
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I saw a pack of Bourbon County at Binny's and snatched it up because its the first time I've actually seen it. Drink one, age 2 or 3 sound good?
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Jan 25, 2013 01:50
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Paul Proteus posted:I have a bottle if you wanna try it. Oh, cool.
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Jan 25, 2013 01:53
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Sounds like we actually need to organize a Chicagoon bottleshare, stat! I have a ton of good stuff I've been waiting to open for just the right day.
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Jan 25, 2013 02:13
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crazyfish posted:Sounds like we actually need to organize a Chicagoon bottleshare, stat! I have a ton of good stuff I've been waiting to open for just the right day. Paul Proteus and I usually hang out/pop bottles once every 6-8 weeks or so and are surprisingly decent at making these things happen. I'd be happy to host up to 6 people in my place up in Ravenswood.
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Jan 25, 2013 03:05
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My roommates and I got a case of Hopslam today. It's pretty amazing how a little honey can completely take off the edge from a 10% beer. This stuff is dangerously smooth.
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Jan 25, 2013 04:25
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What It Dooski posted:I saw a pack of Bourbon County at Binny's and snatched it up because its the first time I've actually seen it. Drink one, age 2 or 3 sound good? If you think they're tasty now, drink them all now. If you think they're a bit too hot, let them sit.
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Jan 25, 2013 04:35
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I may be in the minority here, but these cans look like what they'd use in a Portlandia sketch about beer snobs. Edit for content: I saw Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws and Michael in my local shop last weekend. Both were horribly priced, but I had Doggie Claws a few years ago and enjoyed it a lot. Is it a beer that varies year to year or can I be reasonably sure it'll be just as good if I shell out $8 for 12 oz. Oh, and Michael at $18/12oz is stupid over priced, right? Mikey Purp fucked around with this message at 05:16 on Jan 25, 2013 |
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Jan 25, 2013 05:10
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Mikey Purp posted:Is it a beer that varies year to year or can I be reasonably sure it'll be just as good if I shell out $8 for 12 oz. I have had more infected bottles from HotD than any other brewery. I generally prefer to avoid them.
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Jan 25, 2013 05:24
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Mikey Purp posted:I may be in the minority here, but these cans look like what they'd use in a Portlandia sketch about beer snobs. Wow they weren't kidding about NYC prices! The regular HOTD 12ers are all of 4.50 here. I like them, but to be honest I tend to drink HOTD only when I actually stop by Portland and do HOTD/Cascade in one very sweet and boozy afternoon.
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Jan 25, 2013 05:32
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crazyfish posted:Sounds like we actually need to organize a Chicagoon bottleshare, stat! I have a ton of good stuff I've been waiting to open for just the right day. I keep saying this and nobody ever does it. 
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Jan 25, 2013 05:40
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Mikey Purp posted:Oh, and Michael at $18/12oz is stupid over priced, right? It was something like $10 - $12 at the brewery, so yeah that's stupidly overpriced. Honestly, it's okay, but not worth the price even at $10 per 12oz bottle.
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Jan 25, 2013 05:58
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