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FYAD SECRETARY posted:I've only had Valley of the Heart's Delight once and it was nowhere near as chunky as in the picture. The farm to barrel bottles are all around $12/bottle and pretty easy to get in California, although it can be tough to find certain varieties, Valley being one of those. I had one of these yesterday as well, and it was really loving good. It also did not have chunks in it like that photo and the description. Also, Seattle goons, tomorrow I'm going to head over to Brouwer's Cafe and buy a ridiculously expensive bottle of Hommage. One or more of you should join me in my indulgence. If I don't get a reply here before tomorrow morning, I'll post the same on talkbeer. If I don't get a reply on talkbeer...then gently caress it, full 750 of Hommage to the dome. PM me or leave an email address or phone number. If you leave a phone number, expect a text from 773. crazyfish fucked around with this message at 08:25 on May 26, 2014 |
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May 26, 2014 08:15
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crazyfish posted:I had one of these yesterday as well, and it was really loving good. It also did not have chunks in it like that photo and the description. I probably could have poured a little more carefully but just said gently caress it, I don't mind the floaters. I think I've seen on a couple other forums some people's bottles had the thick layer of fruit (mine had like 2 inches of stuff on the bottom) and some didn't but it was delicious to me.
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May 26, 2014 15:46
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Has anyone had a 2012 Bourbon County Coffee lately? I have a friend who's letting one go(and one of this last year's) for a decent price, and was wondering if the bombers held up enough to invest in one.
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May 26, 2014 21:26
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Vertigo posted:Has anyone had a 2012 Bourbon County Coffee lately? I have a friend who's letting one go(and one of this last year's) for a decent price, and was wondering if the bombers held up enough to invest in one. Had it a few times in the past few months. The coffee is definitely more muted but the flavors are much more integrated. Still a ton of coffee on the finish and a wonderful beer.
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May 26, 2014 21:29
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Speaking of coffee stouts, this is where I say that I dislike Prairie Bomb and Bible Belt. Drinking the latter tonight and like the former the coffee is really earthy bordering on vegetal. It's not a pleasant flavor, very burnt and ashy and not my thing at all. I don't see how these are so beloved in a world with coffee stouts that don't taste like roasted red peppers.
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May 27, 2014 02:42
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So apparently we recently started getting Prairie in Philly. Anything in particular I should look out for? Anything I should feel free to ignore?
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May 27, 2014 02:44
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crazyfish posted:I had one of these yesterday as well, and it was really loving good. It also did not have chunks in it like that photo and the description. There aren't that many Seattle goons (if any) in this thread, so I skulled an Hommage (helped a lot that Monday is 20% off non-Cantillon bottles day!). Really good beer. If you like 3F lambic and like fruited lambics, this is pretty much the tip top of the style. I personally wouldn't pay $60 to drink it again, but that could be said about even some really staggering bottles, and you could do a lot worse if the opportunity was presented to you.
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May 27, 2014 02:46
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Phanatic posted:So apparently we recently started getting Prairie in Philly. Anything in particular I should look out for? Anything I should feel free to ignore? the only beer of theirs i've straight-up hated was The Beer That Saved Christmas (didn't care for Funky Galaxy, but i don't like galaxy hops). depending on you style preferences, i'd say everything else is worth a shot, and i particularly like Bomb (never got anything vegetal out of it), Elizabeth, Standard, and Prairie Ale.
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May 27, 2014 02:50
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Phanatic posted:So apparently we recently started getting Prairie in Philly. Anything in particular I should look out for? Anything I should feel free to ignore? They still brew Prairie Hop right? Because that beer is the loving poo poo.
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May 27, 2014 03:01
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danbanana posted:They still brew Prairie Hop right? Because that beer is the loving poo poo. Yep. I love me some Puncheon too, their slightly tart saison. And Birra, a sessionable fruity saison.
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May 27, 2014 03:08
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Tried two ciders that have been sitting in the fridge for a while. First was The Mitten by Virtue Cider, which is a BBA, semi-sweet cider that I thought was delicious. Mostly got vanilla from the barrel, but the cider itself contributed an almost savory, maple sweetness that was very pleasant. Second was Colorado Cider Company Dry Glider Cider and it was great. Like biting into an effervescent green apple. That is something I could easily drink all day and it is definitely, absolutely dry so no terrible sugar hangover either. In actual beer news, Left Hand is serviceable but underwhelming. I could get Great Divide or Odell for the same price and get better product. funkybottoms posted:the only beer of theirs i've straight-up hated was The Beer That Saved Christmas (didn't care for Funky Galaxy, but i don't like galaxy hops). depending on you style preferences, i'd say everything else is worth a shot, and i particularly like Bomb (never got anything vegetal out of it), Elizabeth, Standard, and Prairie Ale. Bomb is really good. I also really enjoy Somewhere, it's quite fruity and just the perfect amount of sour.
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May 27, 2014 04:08
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Enjoying the Session IPA from Coachella Valley Brewing. Picked up a growler of the Kolschella for my father in law who only drinks crappy adjunct lagers and he liked that too! Anyone else been there or had their beer?
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May 27, 2014 04:12
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Phanatic posted:So apparently we recently started getting Prairie in Philly. Anything in particular I should look out for? Anything I should feel free to ignore? We've been getting Prairie for the past year or so but all I ever see on shelves are 'Merica and Somewhere.
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May 27, 2014 14:50
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HatfulOfHollow posted:We've been getting Prairie for the past year or so but all I ever see on shelves are 'Merica and Somewhere. This, plus maybe Puncheon and Ale? We've never seen any of the stouts, and those are IMO the Prairie beers most worth buying.
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May 27, 2014 14:51
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'Merica was my most regular buy, but now that it's discontinued, that's shifted over to Bomb or Bible Belt. I like Ale as well.
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May 27, 2014 15:21
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jeff posted:When was it bottled? I have only seen June 2013 around and am wondering if it's worth picking up still. I don't know who you are but there's only room for one jeff on these forums, please surrender your account to me. Uhh I guess I like beer or something, bud light is my favorite.
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May 27, 2014 18:57
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I went to Boston on memorial day to visit some friends, only to find out that MA doesn't allow off-premise alcohol sales on memorial day! We stumbled upon this place, the Tip Tap Room, completely by accident which turned out to be pretty great. I was able to get some Dark Horse, Trillium and Great Divide stuff which we don't get in CT. It was a bit expensive, but helped soften the blow of not being able to bring home any bottles.
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May 27, 2014 20:47
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Blue Laws suck, Tip Tap Room is pretty good (but in the expensive part of town.)
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May 27, 2014 20:49
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I was in Nashville over the weekend for a bachelor party, and despite drinking copious amounts of Busch Light for Beer Olympics, I did actually get to try some good beer. Did the tour at Yazoo and had their Dos Perros brown ale (pretty light and tasty), pale ale (average), 2014 Brett-Saison (tart and dry to start, weird dirty socks aftertaste), their summer seasonal which was a gose (salty, mucusy texture, light lemon flavor, just meh), their 10 year white IPA which was actually pretty good, but my favorite was their hefeweizen. If we got it around here, it would be in my summer beer rotation. Sweet, light, bananay flavor, just a very well done hefeweizen. I also got a taster glass out of it so hey, more glassware. I ate lunch at a bar down there called Burger Republic and thought it was delicious, had 30 beers on tap, and was very affordable, so if you're in the area looking for somewhere to eat, I'd recommend that place. I also tried a beer called The Rose by Black Abbey which was a Belgian blonde ale, and it was really really tasty. Again, easy drinking, sweet flavor to start, nice tart finish. Would go down well in the 80s and humid weather we've been having in Chicago. I had a couple beers by Tennessee Brewing Company, but they were really nothing to write home about. I also tried Terrapin Recreation Ale and it was a decent pale ale, but I thought their Hopsecutioner was really well done. Hoppy aroma, malty/hoppy flavor, and a bitter finish.
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May 27, 2014 21:30
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Lot going on across Bend now that Central Oregon Beer Week is in full swing. This is I think the 3rd year of it, and definitely the first one that's a really cohesive week with events taking place every dang day across 9 days that are worth attending if you've got the werewithal for all of them. (I'm trying, anyway.) Among some of the highlights  The SMASH (single malt and single hop) Beer Festival was quite a lot of fun. Given the limitation you weren't exactly going to get super-exotic beer (Boneyard put out Bone Light for example and most others put out pilsners or bitters), but nonetheless it was all tasting pretty good. The best was probably Blotter from Sunriver, a really tropical Mosaic pale ale. Plus, both Gary Fish (founder of Deschutes) and Ron Wyden (Oregon US senator) were in attendance; I had last chatted with Gary at Cantillon  but he's one of the most approachable brewer guys I know. Wild Ride Brew, which I posted out a bit earlier, was really fantastic for a 2-week-old brewery. The building design looks kind of cheesy in photos I think, but in person it looks really nicely polished and the interior is quite large and friendly. They are located in Redmond, OR, about 25 minutes away from Bend and very much Bend's red-headed stepsister when it comes to culture and such (Juniper, another brewery in town, shares a business park with a "prepper" supply shop), but have a really fancy storefront right at the edge of downtown, which the city's trying to revitalize in order to attract more visitors. They debuted with no less than 11 beers, and I only tried a few since I had to drive, but the stout and red ale I had in particular were really dark, flavorful and fun. That and there're 3 food trucks outside. If I had to live in Redmond I would hang out here all the time.  Both Silver Moon and the Bend Brewing Company (Bend's 2nd oldest brewery, founded 1994) have put nothing but "special" beers up on tap all this week, and they're both firing on all cylinders. Silver Moon has both stouts and strong ales aged in bourbon barrels, along with their take on a "San Diego style" India pale lager that's light, refreshing, but also quite in-your-face hoppy in a way that reminds me of Swami's. The BBC meanwhile has like 3 imperial-sized stouts and the Lovely cherry Baltic porter, which I think has aged a bit and lost the extreme cherry of the past to much improved effect -- it's now much better balanced and totally worth sipping over a long time as it warms up and more of the chocolate undertones begin to make themselves known. Now to relax a little tonight before the events on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday that I wanna attend...
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May 28, 2014 00:16
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Finally a brewery has catered to my love of pineapple and sent it to NJ. Rivertowne's Hala Kahiki is basically a bland rear end golden ale with pineapple juice. I'd venture to call this a shandy even, a pineapple one. I drank this faster than any other beer that I've ever had. I love the pineapple through it. I'm okay with it being pretty lovely otherwise.
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May 28, 2014 04:47
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Stopped in at Hops and Pie after a day of skiing and tried this year's Saison Brett. It's still good, although it finishes with a sharp acidity that might be just slightly too sour. Otherwise really tasty. Also Hops and Pie is basically my go-to. 3 slices of mozz, salami, heirloom tomato, and shredded basil pizza and a glass of Saison Brett for $12? Any time, any day. The rest of their food is super good too.
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May 28, 2014 05:15
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Midorka posted:Finally a brewery has catered to my love of pineapple and sent it to NJ. Rivertowne's Hala Kahiki is basically a bland rear end golden ale with pineapple juice. I'd venture to call this a shandy even, a pineapple one. I drank this faster than any other beer that I've ever had. I love the pineapple through it. I'm okay with it being pretty lovely otherwise. Did yours have an incredibly disturbing nutty aftertaste? I bought a 6 pack, I drank one and drain poured the other... Gave the last 4 to my brother and he tried one and drain poured. Then he gave the last 3 away to someone else. I guess I'll just stick with Wild Blue when I want an overly sweet fruity beer.
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May 28, 2014 13:16
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Had it on tap last year some time, I remember it being bland as gently caress. Tastebuds, I guess. EDIT: Midorka literally used the word 'bland', I don't read good. lament.cfg fucked around with this message at 13:23 on May 28, 2014 |
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May 28, 2014 13:19
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katkillad2 posted:Did yours have an incredibly disturbing nutty aftertaste? I bought a 6 pack, I drank one and drain poured the other... Gave the last 4 to my brother and he tried one and drain poured. Then he gave the last 3 away to someone else. I guess I'll just stick with Wild Blue when I want an overly sweet fruity beer. Nah. It basically tasted like a lovely American blonde with pineapple juice. I'm okay with that though.
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May 28, 2014 13:48
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I was in New York over the long weekend and finally had the chance to try some stuff. Ithaca Flower Power IPA - I really liked this one and it was pretty easy to drink. Westbrook Gose - I'm not the biggest fan of the style (I'm not a salt fiend), but this one had the right amount of tartness and salt added. It made Off Color Troublesome taste like cat piss so there is that. Prairie Bible Belt - So, I went to Bierkraft to get this and probably paid too much for it ($17 for a 12 oz). Because Chicago doesn't get Prairie anymore (gently caress you Shelton Bros), I decided to splurge on something that I was certain I wouldn't get. Goddamn was it good. This is (in the same vein as Abraxus) the type of chili beer I love. No heat, but just hints of the peppers combined with vanilla and chocolate. Really, really drat good. If I had checked a bag, I would have bought a couple more to bring home. Edit: It was bizarre to see so much Off Color in NY. John Laffler has connections up the wahzoo. Compusaurus fucked around with this message at 15:20 on May 28, 2014 |
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May 28, 2014 15:18
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Compusaurus posted:
Shelton's distributing them in some areas.
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May 28, 2014 15:36
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cryme posted:Shelton's distributing them in some areas. 12% Imports, actually.
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May 28, 2014 16:03
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Got some VT goodies today from a connection I made recently. 2 cans of fresh Heady, 2 cans of Fiddlehead Hodad and a Hill Farmstead Arther... can't wait to get into them.
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May 28, 2014 16:21
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danbanana posted:12% Imports, actually. ah i knew it was one of the two, that would explain why I haven't seen any off color here.
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May 28, 2014 16:51
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I normally don't like BrewDog's terrible gimmick, but I had Tokyo last night for the first time and that beer is super loving impressive. It's almost like drinking port. The mouth feel is awesome and the 18% alcohol was incredibly well hidden. A+ would drink again.
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May 28, 2014 18:09
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We are heading to NC for a weekend in October (Raleigh) I do believe. Any recommendations on bars and food?
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May 28, 2014 19:58
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Vertigo posted:We are heading to NC for a weekend in October (Raleigh) I do believe. Any recommendations on bars and food? Busy Bee is a good place for food with a very nice beer selection, and it's right downtown within walking distance of a lot of spots. Raleigh Times Bar is right around the corner and usually has a good tap list, but it can get very bro-ish at times. Flying Saucer is a bit further, but doable as I remember. I haven't been to their tap rooms but Trophy and Raleigh Brewing's beers have impressed the hell out of me lately. If you want an expensive and slightly cheesy steak dinner, The Angus Barn has been around forever, and has some really drat good steaks in a weird ambiance. They also have a million-dollar-plus wine cellar under the barn. Lonerider Brewing is right across the street from them, as well (Peacemaker and Sweet Josie are excellent takes on their respective styles). If you're looking for bottles, Tasty Beverage Co. and Bottle Revolution are both good. Tasty is within walking distance of Busy Bee, as well. If you make it over to Durham, go to Bull City Burger & Brewery, eat the Green Monster.
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May 28, 2014 20:20
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Vertigo posted:We are heading to NC for a weekend in October (Raleigh) I do believe. Any recommendations on bars and food? Everything Retemnav said is spot on, though I will add Tyler's Taproom to the list of great food+impressive tap list. The Saucer is my usual haunt but on weekend nights it can get crazy. Trophy is a must for food though, their pizza is some of the best I've had in the city and their beer is great too. Bring home some bombers of Raleigh Brewing's Hell Yes Ma'am Belgian. Avoid Boylan Bridge Brewpub because every person I've ever talked to who's gone says the mediocre beer and lovely service far outweigh the ~scenic view~.
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May 28, 2014 21:19
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Don't drink anything by Natty Greene's Do find Foothills' Jade IPA if you like IPA.
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May 28, 2014 22:06
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Hey guys, I figure this is the place to ask: I'm hitting Seattle, Portland and San Fran plus intermittent points over the next few weeks. I was wondering where people recommend heading to drink the widest variety of American microbrews in the shortest period of time? Preferably avoiding places modelled after English pubs (I get plenty of that at home) or with too many hipsters (I'm going with my old man and he might get spooked by too many people in flannel). My guidebooks mention a few places but I'm wary of going to 'name' bars rather than ones where I can discover something genuinely obscure. Psybro fucked around with this message at 02:19 on May 29, 2014 |
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May 29, 2014 02:17
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Psybro posted:Hey guys, I figure this is the place to ask: That is adorable. If you want to just buy beers and drink them with friends, I would recommend Belmont Station and Johns Marketplace in Portland and Bottleworks in Seattle. Buy everything you possibly can and drink them in your room/house/whatever. I'm sure there is an equivalent in SF. Otherwise, the best beer bars are going to have hipsters in them in each city. In each of those cities I would recommend going to the actually breweries and brew pubs if you can and don't want to just buy cans/bottles.
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May 29, 2014 02:24
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Had some heavy hitters over the weekend. Duck Duck Gooze was delicious. Very tart with low carbonation. Not the best sour I've ever had and I doubt I'll trade for another any time soon but it was drat good regardless. St Lamvinus was very well balanced and an absolutely beautiful color. I liked this quite a bit. I typically like very tart sours but the level of tartness in it balanced perfectly with the brett. Black Note ('14) was good. Definitely on the low end of the midwestern BA stouts. I liked this years KBS way more. Double Galactic Daisy Cutter was fantastic and I am so glad my friend picked me up a bottle. I absolutely love the bottle art and could drink this all the time. BA Jones Dog was by far the standout. I had heard mixed review on this one but was blown away when I tried it. Not as viscous as I would have liked but so flavorful. Tons of marshmallow, chocolate and vanilla. Fairly sweet but not overly so. I am going to track down tons of this now. I can't believe the middling reviews I've been seeing because to me this blows away so many other BA stouts. I loved it so much I seriously considered whether or not I liked it better than BCBS (crazy talk, I know).
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May 29, 2014 02:31
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Psybro posted:Hey guys, I figure this is the place to ask: I just got back from Seattle, and for bottleshops, I would recommend going to The Beer Junction, as their selection was absolutely incredible and impeccably organized by style. Bottleworks was good and has some very obscure stuff, but I found their prices higher than Beer Junction and the space not nearly as nice. Also, Brouwer's Cafe. Go to Brouwer's Cafe. Absolute must.
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May 29, 2014 02:49
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Oh yeah Vertigo, grab some Foothills as well if you're in a position to bring lots of stuff back. Along with Jade, their Hoppyum is also a solid IPA and People's Porter is just fantastic. You might be able to find the BBA version when you come down and that's delicious too. And Red Oak if you can spare the $18 for a 12-pack or find it somewhere with a mix-a-six case. Amazing amber lager, a friend of mine who lives in Europe now said if you served it to him blind he would swear it came straight from a tap in Germany. I have a fair bit of extra cash lying around since my birthday is coming up, so I stopped by the bottle shop and picked up a bottle of Westbrook/Stillwater Big Tasty's Back Door. I loved Cellar Door and love Westbrook, so I can't wait to see what they do with it. Also got a 12oz of Saison Dupont because they had the brown bottles and I've never had it before, so why not.  As I was getting a growler fill I noticed they had Anderson Valley's The Kimmie, The Yink and the Holy Gose on tap for $3/10oz, so at that price I figured I would try it for a second opinion on gose. Verdict: Possibly blasphemy, but I liked it much better than Westbrook's. It was refreshing with a nice lemony backdrop and not too much salt. The thing I disliked most about Westbrook's was just how much salt was in it (I likened it to the outside of sour gummy worms when I tried it), so this was great. I'm glad I didn't write off goses entirely because this was perfect for a muggy evening.
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May 29, 2014 02:57
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