The Beer Thread: Mach 2

[mrjazzguitar]

yo Bill we should do a trade soon. I've got tons of stuff from Founders (no Canadian), Deschutes, RR, and I some North Coast cellar reserves. You wouldn't happen to have any older Abyss or Imperial Stout Trooper?

[ThroughHerEyesDude6]

Imperial Stout Trooper

You have my attention...proceed.

[mrjazzguitar]

Imperial Stout Trooper

You have my attention...proceed.

gotta love the trooper

[King Postwhore]

Kepping it on the cheep watching the B's play.  12 pack of Magic Hat Mixed summer pack.  Having a Single chair right now.

[axeman90210]

BUMP

Yesterday was brewday, and I've got a nice traditional hefeweizen fermenting in my basement. Today was a beer day in NYC. First I hit my bottle shops in the city and picked up a couple Pretty Things brews and a bottle of cave aged Aventinus from 2004. Then I hit my NYC bar, the Rattle n Hum, in hopes of getting a head start on their Founder's Day. Unfortunately, I got there at 1:30 and Founder's wasn't being tapped until 4. Fortunately, they still had a bunch of sours from a weekend event on tap. I started my day with Cantillon Cuvee des Champions and  Saint Lamvinus. Then the Founder's shenanigans started with Centennial IPA over lunch. At this point I had made friends with the guy next to me at the bar, so we decided to split ordering Founder's stouts and share them. We split Founder's Imperial Stout, Breakfast Stout, Kentucky Breakfast Stout, and Canadian Breakfast Stout (ftmfw). Then I went back to ordering my own beers and had a Black Biscuit (old ale brewed with molasses), Kaiser Curmudgeon (maple bourbon barrel aged old ale), and, because the bartender bought me the previous beer, another KBS as a nightcap. Everything aside from the Centennial IPA was *excellent*, and it was crazy to watch the CBS kick in less than two hours. I'm just glad mrjazzguitar swung by in time to get some and for us to have a round or two

[mrjazzguitar]

BUMP

Yesterday was brewday, and I've got a nice traditional hefeweizen fermenting in my basement. Today was a beer day in NYC. First I hit my bottle shops in the city and picked up a couple Pretty Things brews and a bottle of cave aged Aventinus from 2004. Then I hit my NYC bar, the Rattle n Hum, in hopes of getting a head start on their Founder's Day. Unfortunately, I got there at 1:30 and Founder's wasn't being tapped until 4. Fortunately, they still had a bunch of sours from a weekend event on tap. I started my day with Cantillon Cuvee des Champions and  Saint Lamvinus. Then the Founder's shenanigans started with Centennial IPA over lunch. At this point I had made friends with the guy next to me at the bar, so we decided to split ordering Founder's stouts and share them. We split Founder's Imperial Stout, Breakfast Stout, Kentucky Breakfast Stout, and Canadian Breakfast Stout (ftmfw). Then I went back to ordering my own beers and had a Black Biscuit (old ale brewed with molasses), Kaiser Curmudgeon (maple bourbon barrel aged old ale), and, because the bartender bought me the previous beer, another KBS as a nightcap. Everything aside from the Centennial IPA was *excellent*, and it was crazy to watch the CBS kick in less than two hours. I'm just glad mrjazzguitar swung by in time to get some and for us to have a round or two

yea man - great hang yesterday. That Canadian was fantastic. After you left my buddy and I split a 3L bottle of Double Bastard and got some burgers -- best. burger. i've. ever. had.

[axeman90210]

3L Double Bastard bottle... color me jealous. And yeah, RnH makes some fucking excellent burgers

[mrjazzguitar]

also the best fries I've ever had.

[King Postwhore]

Beer list from watching the B's win last night.

La, Divine S'Landelin
Long Trail Coffee Stout
Berkshire Maibock Lager
Sam Adam's Rustic Saison

[axeman90210]

How'd you like the Rustic Saison, I haven't gotten around to trying it.

[King Postwhore]

How'd you like the Rustic Saison, I haven't gotten around to trying it.

For the standard 12 pack guy it's good but it doesn't compare to a real Saison.  Think Haproon's hefeweizen compared to a real hefeweizen.

[axeman90210]

post American Craft Beer Fest BUMP!

I'm going to save my tasting list from the actual fest for another post. I bused up to Boston early Friday and hit Cambridge Brewing Company for some pre fest lunch. I had their Regatta Golden (year round refreshing German Kolsch style lager), Red God (9% DIPA), and Bad Knees (bourbon/Sam Adams Utopias barrel aged Old Ale). The Regatta was nicely done, crisp and refreshing and really the perfect beer after a long day of traveling and a walk to the bar on a hot day. Red God was a little bit of a letdown, didn't finish dry enough and had too much sweetness to interfere with all the hoppy deliciousness. Bad Knees though... holy hell what a wonderful malty brew. CBC gets some really unique flavors out of the barrels they use both for this beer and a barrel aged dubbel they do, namely lightly toasted marshmallows. The fest went Friday night and all day Saturday, and I left with a six pack and two big bottles of free beer . Sunday was the post fest brunch, back at CBC. I had their hefeweizen to start, which also had a little bit too much malt shining through for my taste. Next was a special collaboration brew they did that was a gruit style beer (no hops, herbs and spices used to balance the malt). Not usually up my alley but they only had five gallons of it on tap and I'm a sucker for the rare stuff . Next was Flower Child IPA, their version of Ithaca's Flower Power (I believe they got the recipe from Ithaca's brewmaster). Flower Power is a damn good beer on its own, and this was just like a super fresh version of it. Couldn't resist another round of Bad Knees before I departed. I took the bus back to NYC this morning and saw an opportunity to extend my beercation by grabbing lunch at the Rattle n Hum. I had two Bruery beers on tap. Saison de Lente is their spring seasonal, and a quite refreshing brew. Cuir is their third anniversary ale, a partially barrel aged 14.5% old ale. It was pretty good, remarkably little alcohol heat for such a big beer, but was a little syrupy/cloying.

Needless to say I'm taking tonight off

[bout to crash]

Sounds like an adventure. You had me at marshmallows.

In a nutshell, I had an intense week in Portland (4 days, or 3 actually since I spent one driving along the coast and couldn't drink) and then back in Denver with my family in town. Did taster trays at pretty much every place in Portland I could (and am not going to try and name all the beers right now, maybe later ): Deschutes, Rogue, Bridgeport, Lucky Lab, McMenamin's Kennedy School (this is a really interesting company- they take all of these old buildings like schools and turn them into breweries/restaurants/movie theatres/etc), Widmer Bros.(sampler plus Pitch Black IPA ), Mash Tun... also checked out Green Dragon, the Cascade barrel house (yummy sours), another McMenamin's movie theatre (Terminator Stout!)... and I'm sure I'm missing some (it's a bit of a blur). Some really great beer and atmosphere there. Also found a very cool beer shop (by law they can't sell liquor and beer/wine in the same stores there) that also has a bar in it, where I sampled a couple.

Came back to CO and just kept drinking with the family. Strange is the shit, and my brother/sister-in-law got me a growler of their Patience Saison as a graduation gift, which was awesome. Then we hit up Freshcraft, a place with a good list of beers, where I had some Crazy Mountain (new to me) Old Soul (belgian strong ale), which was pretty good. Then my favorite spot the Wynkoop for a Mile HI.P.A. 

Been working on that growler and still have a bunch of stuff in my fridge to tackle... my other bro and his gf gave me bombers of Ska's imperial IPA and Boulder's Hoopla pale ale for graduation (man, my family knows me well). Also have a 6-pack of Durango's dark lager courtesy of my new boss for passing the test of not selling alcohol to a guy with an ID saying he was still 20.

Oh man...

[King Postwhore]

Bill, looking forward to your revue of the beers at the fest.

Jackie, don't you love when the family knows what to get you!

For me, I got a few beers on sale this week for the Bruins game Monday. For $5.99 I picked up a bottle of Ommegang Abbey Ale and a bottle of Hennepin Saison.  Can't say no for that price.

[axeman90210]

There aren't many prices that would get me to say no to Ommegang, those beers

[King Postwhore]

Beer list for tonight's B's game.

Brooklyn Local 2
Allagash Tripel Ale
Peak Organic Weiss Principal (New! Can't wait to try this!!)


Here is a link for the new beer!!

https://ma.worldclassbeverages.com/beerspy/product/peak-organic-weiss-principal-ale/8718/

[King Postwhore]

Bill, you need to try Peak Organic Weiss Principal.  It's like drinking a combination of a hefeweizen & a double IPA.  Bananas and cloves and a hoppy IPA bite to it.  Really unique.

[King Postwhore]

Got my second round of beer from the Beer Of The Month Club.  Got to let them chill but I'll get you their descriptions.

First up is Choc Beer Company and it's trademark Choc beer. A recipe from a man who after a mining accident crushed one of his legs so he from his own house decided to made  beer.   In 1919 he perfected a recipe from the native Choctaw Indian Tribe and started to sell to the minor who came by his house.  The man went to jail when he continued making this beer in the prohibition days.  It is an American Wheat Ale at 4.7% ABV

Next is Lake Placid Ubu Ale.  The founder like so many home brewers decided to open his own restaurant at a place he bought in Lake Placid in 1996. This Ubu Ale is an English Style Strong Ale  and gold medal winner at the World Beer Championships.  7.0% ABV

Next is Brauerei Goss, Gosser Dark.   From Rakszawa, Poland. This brewery was founded in 1020.  That's right., 1020 by nuns(I always thought they were only good with rulers to the knuckles )  This brewery was closed in 1782 onlt to reopen in 1860.  Of course he was contracted for the army and the plant was partially damaged by WWII.  Chocolate notes and cake like sweetness yet it says it's very light on the palate.   4.5% ABV.

Last is Stawski Premium Lager.    A pale lager, crystal clear and malty with a grassy note to it.  A small town that was known for brewing beer in the 1713 but faded away in the 1900's.  In 1989 it started at a canning facility and shortly after they opened as a brew pub in 1993.  5.3% ABV.

[axeman90210]

that's a pretty wide range of brews.

So I've been lazy in bumping this thread (which only shows me that I shouldn't bother with the beer blog I sometimes think about starting). I'll skip a bunch of relatively ho-hum beer shenanigans and skip to the Goose Island event at my spot in NYC, the Rattle n Hum, this past Tuesday. Holy Santa Claus shit. I got absolutely wrecked by like 7pm because there were just too many fucking delicious beers on tap. I had (not in this order) a 2008 version of their Bourbon County Stout that was also partially aged in brandy barrels (very cool, but I'm glad it was a few years old, fresh it was probably pretty harsh), Bourbon County Vanilla Stout (so fucking rich/tasty), a new mystery variant of Bourbon County Stout (my guess is either a saison yeast or brettanomyces version), Big John (the base beer for Bourbon County Stout aged on a ton of cocoa nibs), Dominique (a sour, bourbon barrel aged Belgian Strong Pale Ale), and Scully (a 9% saison brewed with strawberries, white pepper, and honey). Everything was top notch.

I made my way back to the Rattle n Hum after the Adrenaline Mob show tonight for a couple quick rounds. First was Brooklyn's new Brewmaster's Reserve (one off, draft only), The Concoction. Based off of the cocktail The Penicillin, it uses smoked/peat malt, ginger, honey, and lemon. Very out there as far as beer goes, but they pull it off nicely. My other beer was Stone's Ruination double IPA, this batch was double dry hopped with Citra and Centennial hops. Pretty tasty, despite the fact that I'm not a huge fan of Centennial hops. It tastes like overly bitter grapefruit to me, the kind of flavor you'd get from trying to zest a grapefruit and getting into the white pith as well by accident.

[orcus116]

Had a few "local" beers tonight (local meaning within 30-45 minutes). Keegan Ale's Hurricane Kitty IPA, which was a little sweet but with an edge (think Dogfish Head 90 Minute), something I could definitely see being a go-to beer. Cooperstown Brewery Benchwarmer, which was a solid porter, and Strike Out, a stout that would've been better in a glass. The place I went only served in bottles. Anyone in the Rhinebeck/Kingston area should give these beers a shot.

[axeman90210]

tonight's beer is Stone's Odd Years release of their Imperial Russian Stout. Basically, every other year starting in 2011 (odd years) they will release a specially treated version of their Barleywine and IRS (odd beers). The inaugural Odd Years IRS was fermented with a Belgian yeast strain and brewed with star anise, and partially aged in oak. Anise basically gives a strong liquorice flavor, and as someone who does *not* enjoy black liquorice, this beer (which I contend could also have been called Stone IRS: Jager Barrel Edition) is just a miss for me.

[orcus116]

Stone needs to bring back their Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout in the worst way. Hands down my favorite stout ever.

[King Postwhore]

Bill.  I saw this today and wanted to know if you had it yet.  I needed small bottles for a cook out I was going to so I didn't pick it up.


https://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3818/49286

[axeman90210]

haven't had that one, but Southern Tier has a whole line of imperial stout type brews (Mokah, Jahva, Choklat, Oat, and Creme Brulee) that tend to be pretty divisive. Some people (myself included) enjoy them (I've had Chokat and Creme Brulee), and some thing that they're overly sweet and should have some sort of "Caution, may cause diabetes" warning on the bottle.

[King Postwhore]

I've had the Choklat and it's to die for so I think I'll pick it up next week.

[bout to crash]

I can only take so much sweet.

I was in Utah this weekend and went to Wasatch Brewery, where I had a Polygamy Porter .. pretty light but still good, I thought.
Also drank a shitload of my friend's beer because she couldn't handle it- Squatter's Outer Darkness (Russian Imperial Stout)
At my friend's wedding yesterday had several Uinta Cutthroat Pale Ales, which I enjoyed very much.
Then had some Montana IPA (forget the name right now) which was okay but I couldn't finish it.

Bought a few other UT ones which I will report on when I drink them, as well as one from Wyoming (too lazy to go to the fridge and get the name).

Just had a Bridgeport Cafe Negro, which I enjoyed.

[axeman90210]

I'm currently working my way through a 750 of Boulevard's Sixth Glass quadruple. A bit of a letdown, because I've had the special release version of it before (aged in bourbon barrels, on cherries), but the base brew is just a step down from Chimay Blue, Rochefort 10, and other truly great quads.

[Portrucci]

Just bought a 750ml bottle of French ale. 8.3%  Will post more details (and more incoherently) later tonight.

[Sigz]

So for my first american microbrew I got a pack of Karl Strauss Amber Lager, brewed in San Diego. It's pretty damn good, don't really know how to describe it though.

[axeman90210]

Tonight I'm slowly working on a Fantome Saison. Hell of a beer from a very small artisanal Belgian brewer. There's some definite brettanomyces funk, but damn if this thing doesn't have a juicy, fruit sweetness to it. It almost makes me think of biting into a Starburst.

[bout to crash]

That sounds awesome and overwhelming at the same time.

I can't drink tonight because I'm on call 

[axeman90210]

Oh, and I take my first step towards becoming a professional brewer tomorrow when a friend from work buys a six pack from me

[bout to crash]

Sweet! You still owe me some of your beer

[axeman90210]

You'll get some of my beer when I make something that's good What I'm giving the guy is a bush league version of a hefe that seems to be popular with non beer drinkers

[King Postwhore]

So I bought a new beer from Shipyard.  It's called Smashed Blueberry.  We report my findings tonight,



https://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/139/68949