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funkybottoms posted:please do, or at least PM me, because i went to high school with Ben Finch and i hate his guts (as i've likely implied in previous posts) Also: TERRIBLE BEER.
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Jul 22, 2014 12:23
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Ubik posted:Don't get me started on the horror stories I've heard from Finch's and Two Brothers. funkybottoms posted:please do, or at least PM me, because i went to high school with Ben Finch and i hate his guts (as i've likely implied in previous posts) Seconded, with regard to Two Brothers. They probably account for 50% of my beer purchases and I would prefer to drink ethically given the option.
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Jul 22, 2014 13:54
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crazyfish posted:Tater Ridge...well, all I can say is, I really don't want to drink it at all. Really, really don't like this one bit. I was going to drink Tater Ridge as my chili making beer and after taking one sip, I dumped it into my chili. It tastes considerably better once you cook most of it off and then mix it with meat, veggies and tomatoes. Cigar City, Bell's and whichever brewery did the milk stout are probably the top 3. I have just the Allagash left but it is sounding like that one is just middling. The NG was probably the most disappointing of the bunch for me, which I think I mentioned earlier.
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Jul 22, 2014 14:16
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Compusaurus posted:I was going to drink Tater Ridge as my chili making beer and after taking one sip, I dumped it into my chili. It tastes considerably better once you cook most of it off and then mix it with meat, veggies and tomatoes. New Glarus' beers that aren't fruit-based or sour are pretty mediocre. I'm not shocked that their English Bitter isn't great.
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Jul 22, 2014 14:25
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Josh Wow posted:
This is pretty much how it went down, from what Luke at Wicked Weed told me (he went out to Chico to represent the Asheville Brewers)
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Jul 22, 2014 14:56
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a worthy uhh posted:New Glarus' beers that aren't fruit-based or sour are pretty mediocre. I'm not shocked that their English Bitter isn't great. See, and I absolutely love Spotted Cow and Moon Man. I think they're pretty much perfect. Simple, but great.
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Jul 22, 2014 15:24
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MunchE posted:I haven't had much I liked from them, so I am skeptical sir They've gone through about five head brewers since they opened. Two or maybe three of them were worth a poo poo. The guy who did good dark beers (like their German Chocolate Cake Stout) moved on and now works at the newly-opened Bad Beat Brewing (which unsurprisingly has a very solid import stout). The current brew staff is pretty good, and Citra Rye is the head brewer's homebrew recipe competently scaled up. It's no West Coast tongue-destroying hop bomb, but it is a very tasty rye ale with significant single hop character.
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Jul 22, 2014 15:56
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Trouzorz posted:Seconded, with regard to Two Brothers. They probably account for 50% of my beer purchases and I would prefer to drink ethically given the option. Thirded. 
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Jul 22, 2014 16:13
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a worthy uhh posted:New Glarus' beers that aren't fruit-based or sour are pretty mediocre. I'm not shocked that their English Bitter isn't great. Moon Man is a great pale ale and Dancing Man Wheat is one of the best bottled Hefeweizens you can get. Their 20th anniversary strong ale was pretty solid as well. I'm not a huge Black IPA fan but Black Top is probably one of the best out there. Granted, Spotted Cow, Two Woman, Naked ale and the other year round ones are pretty mediocre but I would never say that all they do well is sour / fruit beers. Compusaurus fucked around with this message at 16:31 on Jul 22, 2014 |
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Jul 22, 2014 16:27
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I forget specifics, but I have heard a number of beer reps and a couple past employees complain to high heaven about how much Two Brothers sucks as a company and the people running it are assholes.
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Jul 22, 2014 16:28
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Any recommendations on places to drink/buy beer for a Chicagoan traveling to Pittsburgh for work? Does Russian River make to to Pittsburgh or is that just Philly? Was thinking about doing a few at Fat Head's at some point, but would love some tips on what I should be on the lookout for, hidden gems, etc.
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Jul 22, 2014 16:29
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Russian River pretty much just makes it to Philly and the immediate suburbs. Occasionally stuff will make it somewhere a couple hours away but that's pretty rare. AFAIK Russian River targets specific cities for their distribution outside of CA. So we get quite a bit, but not enough that there's enough for the whole state.
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Jul 22, 2014 16:41
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Josh, thanks for all the info on the Beer Camp pack. All the logistics around it make a lot more sense on bottling dates now. And the Chico King I had last night was still pretty tasty.
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Jul 22, 2014 17:33
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Just scored the last Beer Camp box in the store closest to my office (in Southwestern CT). Definitely am looking forward to trying all these.
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Jul 22, 2014 18:52
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I'm liking Terrapin's Hi-5 IPA. It feels refreshing like I'm drinking a 4.5% session beer, but it's actually almost 6%. Tropical and punchy, it goes down too easy.
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Jul 22, 2014 19:22
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I'm so glad it's July. It's the perfect time to buy some Great Lakes Christmas Ale! http://tuscarawas.craigslist.org/for/4581087859.html 
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Jul 22, 2014 19:33
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IIRC that Great Lakes Christmas beer suffers greatly from coca-cola-itis.
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Jul 22, 2014 19:51
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I haven't posted in this thread before but my brother works at the Half-Pints brewery in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I don't realize how spoiled I am when it comes to free beer. Anyone here ever hear of 'em? I don't think they ship too far.
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Jul 22, 2014 20:34
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ChickenArise posted:I'm liking Terrapin's Hi-5 IPA. It feels refreshing like I'm drinking a 4.5% session beer, but it's actually almost 6%. Tropical and punchy, it goes down too easy. Yeah it's one of my favorite beers of this year. It's got a strong and firm bitterness from start to finish with grapefruit, mango and oranges and a clean crisp malt backing. I've drank a case since it arrived in NJ. As for the Christmas Ale, lol trying to get $75 per case.
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Jul 22, 2014 21:05
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This was one of those months, being a nerd was horrifyingly expensive. I had 4 mail trades. Bottle shop got crazy stuff in. Friends went to VT and MA and brought stuff back.. My 2 friends who has RS memberships had a Gray Monday for me... The amount of cash I put out this month was ridiculous. Vertigo fucked around with this message at 21:29 on Jul 22, 2014 |
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Jul 22, 2014 21:06
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Found a shop that still has Love Child #4. Is $23 about right for that or is that a gouge? I honestly can't remember what I paid for LC3 last year.
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Jul 23, 2014 00:12
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Valencia posted:Found a shop that still has Love Child #4. Is $23 about right for that or is that a gouge? I honestly can't remember what I paid for LC3 last year. That's kinda steep IMO. I think I paid somewhere between $16 and $18 and that wasn't at a super cheap store.
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Jul 23, 2014 00:20
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Since I failed at cellar raid day last week (not that I didn't do it, but that I opened something that I poured out almost immediately), I'm making up for it this week. Last week I opened a 1997 Sam Adams Triple Bock. The stories are true. It is VILE. It tasted like Tamari and molasses had a baby. It was thicker than cough syrup, and left a solid brown sludge on the side of the bottle. I sipped it twice to see if I was missing something and poured it out. Tonight, I opened a 2010 Rivertown Lambic, and it's very good, if a little one dimensional. Champagne-like effervescence, lemon and cider vinegar scent, very light and refreshing, slight acetone finish, but all in all a really excellent and easy drinking lambic, but like I said pretty simple. Also, the cork had rotted and was a pain to get out.
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Jul 23, 2014 02:00
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BoredByThis posted:Last week I opened a 1997 Sam Adams Triple Bock. The stories are true. It is VILE. It tasted like Tamari and molasses had a baby. It was thicker than cough syrup, and left a solid brown sludge on the side of the bottle. I sipped it twice to see if I was missing something and poured it out.  The only time I've ever had this beer was in 2006... eight years ago. It was the same soy sauce syrup mess then, and I can't imagine it's gotten any better with age.
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Jul 23, 2014 02:24
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I think I supplied you with that beer in 2006 at Dark Lord Day.
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Jul 23, 2014 02:25
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Docjowles posted:That's kinda steep IMO. I think I paid somewhere between $16 and $18 and that wasn't at a super cheap store. I thought so. I think this is the one shop in town left that actually still has it so they might be charging accordingly. Instead I bought their last bottle of Dragon's Milk with toasted chiles. This is goddamned amazing, probably one of the best chile beers I've had. Lots of heat that builds up the more you drink. This is up there with the Green Flash Serrano chile stout IMO.
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Jul 23, 2014 02:48
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a worthy uhh posted:New Glarus' beers that aren't fruit-based or sour are pretty mediocre. I'm not shocked that their English Bitter isn't great. This might be the worst opinion that anyone has ever espoused in this thread. They make some of the best wheat beers on the planet, their lagers and IPAs are also generally very good, even stuff like their Orval clone R&D beer is excellent. NG is one of the best breweries in America, period.
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Jul 23, 2014 02:52
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Daunte Vicknabb posted:This might be the worst opinion that anyone has ever espoused in this thread. They make some of the best wheat beers on the planet, their lagers and IPAs are also generally very good, even stuff like their Orval clone R&D beer is excellent. NG is one of the best breweries in America, period. Scream IIPA brother...so good.
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Jul 23, 2014 02:55
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Daunte Vicknabb posted:This might be the worst opinion that anyone has ever espoused in this thread. They make some of the best wheat beers on the planet, their lagers and IPAs are also generally very good, even stuff like their Orval clone R&D beer is excellent. NG is one of the best breweries in America, period. Agree with your opinion on NG, but I've seen worse opinions than NG being mediocre. NG doesn't make beer nerd beers as their main lines; they like mostly doing classic German styles brought to locals at ridiculously good prices (name another craft brewery that prices all their 6 packs at like $25/case like NG does) while also having the drive to experiment and produce some of the best fruit beers on the planet. Not all their beers appeal to everyone, but they're one of the most regarded breweries for a reason. On that note, I drank the NG bitter from the beer camp pack, and I would have liked more bitterness but the malt character was quite nice. The Bell's dark ale I have open now tastes like a roasty quad and is probably the best thing I've tested from the box so far.
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Jul 23, 2014 03:07
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Ubik posted:
I'll go to my grave that the 1994 I had at a tasting about 2 years ago was actually excellent. I still have a bottle... Valencia posted:Found a shop that still has Love Child #4. Is $23 about right for that or is that a gouge? I honestly can't remember what I paid for LC3 last year. High. In previous years, I woulda been, "BUT WORTH IT!" but LC4 is... one note. The sourness is taking over and it's not benefiting the beer. Almost zero barrel this year. Daunte Vicknabb posted:This might be the worst opinion that anyone has ever espoused in this thread. They make some of the best wheat beers on the planet, their lagers and IPAs are also generally very good, even stuff like their Orval clone R&D beer is excellent. NG is one of the best breweries in America, period. Shut up YOUR face. Seriously, I don't get the overwhelming love of NG. I think it's awesome that Wisconsonites take pride in drinking it and it's everywhere up there. I think it's awesome that they do fun stuff on the side while still making the general populace happy with their Spotted Cow and such. And I think Wild Sour is amazing (and getting better), their Berliner is the best I've ever had, WI-Belgian Red is a nice tart cherry, and their other fruit beers are good in small doses. But if you're not finding local beers that are as good if not better to their regular lineup or a majority of their seasonals, you're just not trying. And while I haven't had Scream yet, their IIPA is straight up loving gross.
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Jul 23, 2014 03:20
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Found a place that can get me New Holland Black Tulip. 
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Jul 23, 2014 03:22
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Agree on LC4. It's still a really good beer but MAN is it sour up front. It hit me like a glass of pure lemon juice. The finish hints at the barrel complexity underneath it but I feel like it could have been so much better if the sourness was dialed back like 20%. Disclaimer: 4 is the only one I've had. Was never able to track down the other releases.
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Jul 23, 2014 03:33
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Daunte Vicknabb posted:This might be the worst opinion that anyone has ever espoused in this thread. They make some of the best wheat beers on the planet, their lagers and IPAs are also generally very good, even stuff like their Orval clone R&D beer is excellent. NG is one of the best breweries in America, period. Yeah for real. No one on this earth would ever say Dancing Man or Moon Man were even mediocre unless they have broken palates. Edit: Their Back 40 Bock is a world class bock, Coffee Stout is more than solid, their barley wine is good, and their imperial weizen is very interesting. Midorka fucked around with this message at 04:08 on Jul 23, 2014 |
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Jul 23, 2014 04:05
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Docjowles posted:Agree on LC4. It's still a really good beer but MAN is it sour up front. It hit me like a glass of pure lemon juice. The finish hints at the barrel complexity underneath it but I feel like it could have been so much better if the sourness was dialed back like 20%. 3 was pretty outstanding. 3 with age was even more outstandinger.
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Jul 23, 2014 04:14
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Thinking I might go down to the basement and toss a couple Moon Men in my fridge.
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Jul 23, 2014 04:19
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BoredByThis posted:Last week I opened a 1997 Sam Adams Triple Bock. The stories are true. It is VILE. It tasted like Tamari and molasses had a baby. It was thicker than cough syrup, and left a solid brown sludge on the side of the bottle. I sipped it twice to see if I was missing something and poured it out. oh, yeah, i drank one of those the other night, too, and i agree that it was pretty loving terrible.
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Jul 23, 2014 04:34
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danbanana posted:But if you're not finding local beers that are as good if not better to their regular lineup or a majority of their seasonals, you're just not trying. And while I haven't had Scream yet, their IIPA is straight up loving gross. The closest any distribution brewery in the entire southeast has come to making a very good traditional German wheat beer of any sort is probably Sweetwater Waterkeeper Hefeweizen. I live in Gainesville, Swamp Head's beers are not 1/10th as good as New Glarus's. CCB is obviously a world-class brewery, and their session beers with the exception of Invasion are not as good as the NG stuff, as much as I like Cracker, Minaret, and Hotter than Helles. Basically anything Terrapin makes that isn't a coffee stout or a milk stout is completely underwhelming or a one-off gimmick IPA that's tasty but not worthy of revisiting. Rapp makes really good German stuff but he doesn't have any distribution and is over 100 miles away from me. There are no breweries in Michigan that make beers like the ones New Glarus specializes in that are anywhere near as good as the New Glarus equivalents.
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Jul 23, 2014 04:37
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Valencia posted:Found a shop that still has Love Child #4. Is $23 about right for that or is that a gouge? I honestly can't remember what I paid for LC3 last year. I paid $9 a bottle.
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Jul 23, 2014 05:00
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As a guy who was in pretty good shape about a year and a half ago before I got into craft beer heavily, and let myself flab up for that and other reasons, this article helps make me feel a tad bit better. A Lifter's Guide to Alcohol I've started more seriously getting back into lifting and trying to track my food intake and shape up, but really don't want to try and just break completely from beer. I have too much stocked up and just love it too drat much. It's of course one article put together by one person and there are probably contradicting opinions, but by god I'll take it and continue to enjoy my beer or two in the evening after working out. It's not optimal but that's what I'm gonna go with for now.  to deadlifts and double IPAs
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Jul 23, 2014 05:04
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Patrick Rue was on a podcast talking about Terreux: http://beergeekradio2.podomatic.com/entry/2014-07-21T11_51_36-07_00 Pretty softball all around - the interesting bits are that they're keeping the Reserve/Hoarder's Societies unified, and that they are planning for it to have several new year-round beers specific to Terreux, along with separate location tasting rooms that act as 75/25 splits (so Bruery TR would be 75% Bruery, 25% Terreux and vice versa).
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Jul 23, 2014 06:10
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