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Had company last night and someone left us with some free SN Pales!
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Mar 25, 2012 14:02
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Is that White Rajah stuff available in New England? I"m going to NH next week, though I may not have cash for more than Deviant Dale's.
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Mar 25, 2012 23:53
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Big Beaver Brewing's "beaver stubble stout" and "whiskey dick" stout both sound really, really unappealing.
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Mar 26, 2012 14:20
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Retemnav posted:
No hop hype. The bigass markups tend to apply to American IPAs more than anything else. European and Euro-style beers just aren't sought after to the same extent. I'd also think the longer distribution chain has something to do with noramlizing prices. You want a really good deal on quality, abv, and price - Oskar Blues Old Chub, LongTrail Double Bag, Victory Helios
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Mar 26, 2012 17:49
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Weihenstephaner Hefe is hands down the best wheat I've had. Not only worth buying, itself, but worth getting the appropriate 500ml glass so you can get the yeast in without waiting for the 2nd pour. Although, I do like to drink down the first half glass before adding the sediment, just to experience the "whole" beer. Another great great German brand that isn't too pricey is Pinkus. Their Pils is one of my favorites, and it uses an unusual kinda funky hop and sweet body that really distinguishes it from the skunky Czech style pilsners. Schneider und Sohn make some awesome beers, too. Namely, Aventinus doppelbock.
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Mar 26, 2012 20:38
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Vertigo posted:So, my local bottle shop is getting 1 case of each of the Cigar City/Bruery Dos Costas beers(3 varieties I think), ... are these worth tracking down? Lunch is great, if a little expensive. Peeper is decent, but costs as much as Lunch, so I'd pass. I think Lunch is an unfiltered, organic IPA, so it's really cloudy and has kind of an earthy flavor. It makes the body is a little heavy, along with the generous but not very sweet malt. The hops are strong and strike a nice balance between bright/citrusy and bitter.
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Mar 27, 2012 01:51
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How is the Qautre Centieme? I saw a bottle at the Portland Brewing Store.beetlo posted:Hefe, Hefe-Dunkel, Vitus, Original, Korbinian, and uhhhh... Kristall most likely. Not to worry, they are very different beers. Not that Celebrator isn't great, and comes with a little plastic goat.
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Mar 27, 2012 04:05
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lazerwolf posted:I was talking to the guy at the Alchemist Cannery about the hop profile for Heady Topper. He mentioned they use hop extract, is this really a thing? Definitely. Lots of beers use extract, especially the big IPAs. Something like Hop Stoopid is all extract. I don't know that it has any effect on the flavor, seeing as extraction is pretty much what happens when you boil the hops. Malt extract is also a thing, but I'm pretty sure its use in professional breweries is frowned upon.
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Mar 27, 2012 14:53
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Like most aspects of brewing, I choose to believe hop extraction is done via magic.
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Mar 27, 2012 17:03
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Would extract based beers that "exceed" the normal solubility levels be at risk for settling/separation over time? If the amount of acids exceeds what the wort can absorb, wouldn't that make the beer, technically, a suspension of hop oil in beer?
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Mar 27, 2012 18:29
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ShaneB posted:Edit: he was at least apologetic and was like "I didn't realize they were non-replaceable" and "I know guys at Firestone Walker and Stone" (he used to live in Cali)... but yeah. Cool. Sounds like he must have drunk them when you were not around, else you'd have noticed I assume. I posit that he had a pretty good idea what he was drinking. Anyone but a fellow beer nerd would have been so put off by something like World Wide Stout they'd get nauseous just looking your cellar, and certainly would not have come back for 5 more helpings.
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Mar 28, 2012 17:30
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Midorka posted:Could be an incredibly old bottle, the bottle was sitting on the singles rack which tends to have some really old stuff on it (A 3 year old Maudite) and this has no date. So it's possible. that's the funny thing about taste buds. Your brain wants everything to taste familiar, so when something new comes along it gets sorted into the closest category until you consciously distinguish it. Dark fruit character is totally normal for something like a doppelbock, I think it's likely that you are extremely familiar with grape jelly and your tastebuds made the association. The only way to break the association is to drink that beer until it becomes a beer flavor itself. Start your goat trinket collection now.
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Mar 28, 2012 17:44
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if I could find surrogates to buy rare beers for me I'd have a pretty dank cellar/box going by now. Not a bad line of work, now that I think about it...
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Mar 28, 2012 19:10
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You guys should fight it out on Maury, get a DNA test and everything. Or battle in the dodecagon or whatever polygon people fight in these days. The consensus seems to be that he knew he was being a douche and clearly enjoyed your beers. You should find some secret sleuth way of determining if he even touches your beers in the future.
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Mar 28, 2012 22:20
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My girlfriend's sister in law gifted me a Lunch IPA earlier tonight! Can't wait to enjoy tomorrow.TenaciousTomato posted:Across the country, Massachusetts Beer is too goddamn expensive in MA. At least at Kappy's and the other bottle shop I went to in Ipswich. But, you guys get Oskar Blues and Great Divide. Have you seen any OB Deviant Dale's packs, or Great Divide Colette six packs?
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Mar 29, 2012 03:15
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dumptruckzzz posted:I picked up a bottle of Old Ruffian today, should I sit on it or is it worth drinking relatively fresh? It was brewed in January. For reference, I also enjoyed Bigfoot fresh but didn't mind age on it either. Old Ruffian is great fresh and aged. If you like DIPAs you'll like Ruffian. There might be a[n expensive] barrel aged version still on some shelves. Buy two, save one for 2014. Docjowles posted:I got off work early and it's ridiculously nice out, so I grabbed a Weihenstephaner hefeweizen to drink in the sun. You guys weren't kidding, one of the best hefeweizens I've ever had. I like to save my Weihenstephaner Hefe experiences for the nicest days of the year, and always outdoors. CalvinDooglas fucked around with this message at 02:21 on Mar 30, 2012 |
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Mar 30, 2012 02:17
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$18 is overpriced, but beer is just plain expensive in MA, plus the long-distance markup on Oskar Blues. I visited a Kappy's (a big liquor store) in the exurb of Ipswich and Dale's was still like $11. Great Divide Bombers were about $10. If Gubna or Ten Fidy are $13 in CO, I wouldn't expect to find them under $16 in MA.
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Mar 30, 2012 14:49
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Stopped at little store in NH today, after having to buy beer at the gas station last night. got a 6 pack of Dale's, a single Lil' S.S., a West Coast IPA, and from the gas station, a Smuttynose IPA, a Moat Mountain Mike's pale, and a Tuckerman 6288 Stout. Mike's and Smuttynose were good, looking forward to the Stout.
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Mar 31, 2012 20:23
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West Coast IPA was great, especially after a nice, icy hike up Mt Kearsarge this afternoon. Dale's is also great as usual, though I wish that store had the new Deviant cans. Guess I'll have to wait for an excursion to MA.
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Apr 1, 2012 03:03
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FreelanceSocialist posted:If it was just about the beer, and nothing else, why even visit? I think this is what craft beer culture is losing sight of. It's all about ratings and making sure everything that touches your lips is worthy of a BA review or a forums post. Visiting a brewery/brewpub doesn't usually come with a full behind the scenes tour and chit-chat session with the brewers and owners. If every time I visited a brewpub I got face time with the people who make it work maybe the quality would be secondary, but most of the time it's like any other bar or restaurant experience. If my experience is limited to a beer and a burger, that's as much as I can rate. The local homebrew club is where you go for camaraderie and wonky conversation. If professional brewers don't receive critical feedback from customers (or worse, don't take it seriously), they aren't going to do well in the extremely competitive bar/restaurant scene. Once you open the doors for customers and try to compete with other establishments, it stops being about the brewmaster's enjoyment and becomes 100% about the customers' enjoyment.
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Apr 1, 2012 21:20
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Maybe I'm just a dry-lander, but buffalo testicles sound more appetizing than brine-soaked sea mussels.
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Apr 2, 2012 00:16
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Did New World Porter season come and go already? I miss that beer.Docjowles posted:I like 400lb Monkey just cause it's a change of pace, getting an English style IPA is nice. Polestar Pilsner is pretty good, too. But yeah, Milk Stout is the only one of their beers I buy more often than every few months. They loving struck gold with that and everything else is a bit hit-and-miss. Don't forget Oktoberfest. I think it comes out in October.
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Apr 2, 2012 13:29
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Bourbon Co is only worth it if you're sharing with at least two other people. I can barely finish a 12oz bottle by myself. Last time I got it I ended up using the last couple ounces as steak marinade.
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Apr 2, 2012 14:35
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I always forget about Ayinger. I think Celebrator is the only Ayinger I've had, actually. Every time I'm thinking of getting a half liter of German ale, I get Wiehenstephaner because why take the risk of buying something that's not as good as Weihenstephaner?
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Apr 2, 2012 19:52
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Kudosx posted:I picked up a 4 pack of Hoptimum, and a bottle of Maharaja. I also like the regular Unearthly better, but the oaked is still pretty good. Gemini is tasty. If you want to try a good oak aged IPA try Great Divide's Rumble IPA. The oak/vanilla is played down, and I think it's blended with some fresh IPA to refresh the hops.
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Apr 3, 2012 00:51
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Boulder Beer has at least three good beers: Flashback, Mojo, and Hopped and Infused. Mojo is a great IPA. LeeMajors posted:They have an 18th anniversary as well, same deal as far as I could tell. My buddy brought it over for a brew night and we didn't make it to it. They did a couple of the Anniversaries and those 750ml Stranahan Whiskey aged beers, but Rumble IPA is a regular release. And yes, it's aged with oak chips in the tank, not in oak barrels. I also like Burton Baton, but I don't think I could have had more than a single bottle.
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Apr 3, 2012 03:14
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I also think of "resiny" as sticky/oily hops. Torpedo is resiny, while something like Stone IPA is more dry/citrusy.Docjowles posted:Simcoe cat pee or Summit onion/garlic I'm still denying that this is a thing. FreelanceSocialist posted:
That place looks fantastic. I will visit and report back next time I go hiking in NH, which should be in the next couple weeks. Are you in Maine? have you been to Novare Res? CalvinDooglas fucked around with this message at 17:41 on Apr 3, 2012 |
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Apr 3, 2012 17:38
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Beer has to be pretty drat awful before I'll pour it out. Unless finishing it will make me sick, I usually just take a few big gulps. Sometimes I'll let it go to waste in the glass if I decide it's time to pass out. Perfectly Cromulent posted:It is a thing, especially Summit smelling and tasting like green onions. Also, Amarillo tastes like Aspirin to some people. nope nope nope. If this is A Thing it's going to show up in every drat beer I drink. I had a perfectly good Gubna nearly ruined because of someone's assertion of onion flavor. In fact I had to drink another one just to convince myself it wasn't true. CalvinDooglas fucked around with this message at 22:28 on Apr 3, 2012 |
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Apr 3, 2012 22:26
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Purchased a bomber of Sebago Lake Trout Stout. It's good. Rich, oatmealy. Tastes sweet, a little roasty, a hint of oaty sour, with some almost spicy hops. Very tasty, and easy to drink. Poor head retention, however. edit: ate a Lindt Lindor chocolate truffle and sipped the beer. Excellent combination. Made the beer taste like cocoa-y chocolate milk. CalvinDooglas fucked around with this message at 04:05 on Apr 4, 2012 |
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Apr 4, 2012 03:50
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Deschutes Cinder Cone red is one of the few red ales I've really enjoyed. Oskar Blues G'Knight is also kind of an imperial red.
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Apr 4, 2012 19:05
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There are places that don't get Sierra Nevada?
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Apr 5, 2012 13:46
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FreelanceSocialist posted:No, New Belgium and Sierra Nevada will literally be in Asheville - they're both building new breweries there. I didn't realize SN was building a new brewery. That's awesome. Hopefully NB on the east coast means we'll get some up here in Maine. More SN selection would be nice, too.
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Apr 5, 2012 15:33
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Julio Cesar Fatass posted:Does anyone else think Colette by Great Divide is just too mild? I love pretty much any saison you put in front of me but I just kept wishing it had something aggressive about it. Saison is a pretty broad style. Colette is a really yeasty example, Tank 7 is really sweet, others can be spicy or dry. Colette is also not a "big beer". It's definitely a warm afternoon beer.
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Apr 6, 2012 15:26
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Looks like a new distributor is in Maine. We now get Green Flash, Goose Island, and Six Point. I hear tell Founders and Lagunitas are on the way. I also picked up a single Hoptimum today. Will enjoy tonight.
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Apr 6, 2012 17:04
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That's too bad about the Upslope lager. Their IPA is decent, if a little bit generic "west coast". Perfectly Cromulent posted:Everything from Bridgeport is very "meh", so I doubt it was a freshness problem. In fact, Bridgeport has taken the "Meh" crown from Widmer in Portland, IMO. Widmer is making some pretty good seasonal and experimental stuff these days. The only good thing about Hop Czar is that it's lie $7 for a six pack of very hoppy, 7.5% beer.
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Apr 7, 2012 18:38
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I got put on probation when I was 19 and had to stop smoking pot for a year. The first time I smelled hops in a beer, I craved more.
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Apr 9, 2012 00:03
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Had a Trader Joe's Boatswain HLV (actually made by Minhas Craft Brewery). Decent hoppy, dark ale. Great deal at $2.29/bomber at Trader Joe's. It's not great or anything, but it's kinda like a poor mans' Arrogant Bastard: decent amount of hops and dark malts just barely balanced, good enough to be on the tasty side of decent.
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Apr 10, 2012 04:10
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It's my opinion that poor labor practices lead to overall increases in cost and low quality, caused primarily by high turnover and the many problems that come with it. Good catch on that Rogue article - bad labor practices are a big deal to me.
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Apr 10, 2012 13:47
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Wamsutta posted:Wow, I'm angry just reading their Jobs page. How loving condescending can you be? Some other tidbits from the Jobs page: "We believe “Job Security” is a myth," benefits include: "2 paid holidays, bad health insurance like most others not paid for by us for Government staff, hurt feelings report." "We do not plan, budget, forecast, or waste time on getting bigger" "Hiring decisions will be inexplicable – this ain’t widgets, we will be wrong a lot." "we have no HR department" Looks to me like they have a piss poor attitude towards their employees and just want someone to shut and keep their head down. It's the kind of attitude you might expect in big-box retail, but certainly not from a company that lives and dies by the quality of its own products. I'd say their unwillingness to invest in employees is causing them to lose a lot of people that might otherwise rise above the brewhouse floor and make good decisions for the brewery. I'm guessing they have a real "boys club" leadership team, because they don't seem to notice that their product offerings are unfocused (only a single "flagship" beer), meaning they have to generate revenue from their absurd number of overpriced, mediocre tasting, inconsistently available beers. edit: sorry to continue the "derail", but I think it's worth briefly discussing the ethics of the products we buy and enjoy. Ethical consumerism should go hand in hand with the labor of love that is Beer. Compare Rogue's apparent practices to a place like New Belgium, who have been ranked many times as one of the best places to work in Colorado. NB is employee-owned, shares profits, grows consistently, purchases wind energy offsets, and has a defined set of "flagship" regular offerings supplemented by seasonals and high-end beers. Rogue treats their employees like crap, doesn't care about growth, and has a big mishmash of overpriced beers that haven't changed in the 7 years I've been microbrew shopping. CalvinDooglas fucked around with this message at 19:49 on Apr 10, 2012 |
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Apr 10, 2012 19:19
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 10:12 |
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mysterious frankie posted:Éphémère pairs AMAZINGLY well with pork chops. Excellent accenting. Unibroue was one of my introductions to the delicate, sweet flavors of Belgian-style beer. And tonight I'm drinking a Helios bomber. Good saison, if a little simple. Definitely good for the price.
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Apr 11, 2012 03:32
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