323 replies to this topic

[Florida]

-Koshihikari Echigo Beer: A slightly better version of the standard Japanese beer. However, at $6 for a 500ml bottle of what is essentially an imported adjunct lager, the price isn't justified.

-Mikkeller Cascade Single Hop IPA: A very green, grassy, and herbaceous IPA with surprisingly low bitterness given the ridiculous quantity of hops used in the brewing of this beer.

-SN 30th Anniversary (Fritz and Ken's Ale): A dry imperial stout with the robust flavors of chocolate and heavily roasted, almost burnt, malts.

[BonVivantNL]

yesterday in Düsseldorf i had asparagus lunch and delicious Altbier at Schumacher brewery. it's so easy to make me happy: good beer, good sausages, good bread. :D

Edited by BonVivantNL, 13 May 2010 - 04:17 AM.

[Florida]

Just got back from Minneapolis:

-Town Hall Masala Mama: Spicy hopped IPA
-Town Hall Mango Mama: IPA brewed with mango's. Whacked out: Sweet. Spicy. An excellent beer.
-Surly Schadenfreude: A slightly smoky Dunkel
-Surly Abrasive Ale: Very hoppy, orange scented IPA
-Surly Furious: One of the best IPA's out there.
-Flat Earth Belgian Pale Ale: Rather typical American version of a Belgian Pale Ale. Toasty malts. Light on the hops.
-NG Moon Man:Light, crisp, sessionable Pale Ale. Nothing overly interesting.

[nakji]

Were you at a beer tasting, or just an exceptionally well-stocked party?

I'm drinking Erdinger white and Qingdao in almost perfect rotation these days. I think I'd drink the Erdinger all the time, but for budgetary restrictions.

[Florida]

Were you at a beer tasting, or just an exceptionally well-stocked party?

Aside from the New Glarus, there wasn’t anything that wouldn’t be readily available to anyone living in the Twin Cities:
-The Mango Mama and the Masala Mama were on tap at Town Hall. ( http://www.townhallbrewery.com/ )
-Schadenfreude and Abrasive were on tap at Cafe 28 (which is co-owned by one of Surly's brewers). Furious is relatively common; I'm not sure where I had it.
-Flat Earth Belgian Pale Ale was at the Bulldog in St. Paul.
-I picked up the New Glarus at a gas station in Wisconsin on the way up.

[Lilija]

So, last night, we had a gathering of beer nerds on the premises. Filled one of those huge white Coleman coolers with big beers. These bottles, both large and small were being shared usually 3 ways, sometimes 4 or 5 people had a bit. This was one of those "you bring your favorites, and something for all of us to try first, and I'll do the same." kind of deals. They were trying to get me into IPAs, and for a wonder, it worked! No rhyme or reason to the tasting, just kind of beer Russian roulette, except we were set on trying the Mikeller Black and Dark Horizon back to back. We took some tasting notes, like phone notes, and I remember my feelings about each one, although I wasn't exactly eloquent afterwhile. Loved some, hated some. Many fell in the "mm, I'd drink this again." category.

Started with "lighter" stuff, during the day.
Green Flash Wst Coast IPA
Southern Tier Iniquity
Lagunitas Maximus IPA
Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shutdown
Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot
Smuttynose Big A IPA
Flying Fish Exit 16 Wild Rice Double IPA

Had a nice break for food, loads of red meat.
Southern Tier Oak Aged Unearthly
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Southern Tier Choklat

then we went for the big stouts. These sort of blew my mind. Literally with their 17.5% ABV, and figuratively, as well. What an excellent opportunity to have them both side by side.

Mikeller Black
Nogene Dark Horizon

On into the evening...
Rogue Double Dead Guy
Stone Vertical Epic
Weyerbacher Twelve
Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar
Old Rasputin


We overshopped, because the cooler is still half full, and we could probably do this all again next week, with no overlaps. Overzealous nerds!


Edit to add pictures:

This is the empties table, and what's left.



Apparently, looking at the picture, I forgot about the banana bread beer. It was gross.

Edited by Lilija, 30 May 2010 - 12:55 PM.

[judiu]

Since WTF? is one of my favorite expressions in situations where I have to mind my mouth, what was the Wilco Tango Foxtrot like? I just has to ask!

[Lilija]

The tag line is "A malty robust jobless recovery ale" This is going to sound really lame, but it tasted like a perfectly balanced blend of godknowswhat. A real "WTF" kind of beer. It was hoppy, malty, sweet, and bitter, fruity, but not very. Bitter, but not very. It was one of the favorites. A little like Arrogant Bastard with the volume turned down.

[chardan]

I'm happy that Oregon beer is being consumed as far away as Florida!

If you like beer, it's a good time to be living in Oregon. I know crazy
people here: they grow their own hops and malt their own grains. Yes, they're
nuts. No, I'm not that crazy... but, I sure enjoy the result.

In a world of ever-increasing machination, under permanent threat of bald
blandness, where everything being "good enough for everyone" is the party
line, I'm so thankful that crazy, irresponsible people are doing their own
thing-- and showing others that not everything has to be the way it is.

_Jesse Williamson ;-};

[judiu]

Actually, I DON'T like beer, but then all I've ever tried is the 'good enough' domestic, available anywhere crap. I used to love Steigmeier (sp?)draft porter, when I could buy it years ago in a bar in Manhattan. I'd like to find a beer I could love again, so I guess I'll have to start trying new stuff!

[Florida]

-De Struise Brouwers Black Albert: A very dark, black Imperial Stout. Flavors of chocolate, sweet dark fruits, figs, and coffee. One of the best Imperial Stouts I have ever had.
-Goose Island Green Line Pale Ale: Predominantly citrus hop flavored mild American Pale. An excellent summer beer.
-Piece Brewery H…Oppenheimer: described as a “Triple IPA” with a heavy 11% ABV, this one is more of a dud than a hop-bomb.

BTW, Lagunitas WTF is a great beer for the price, offering a balance of sweet caramel malt, earthy hops, and mild grapefruit bitterness. All for less than $5 a bomber.

edited for formatting.

Edited by Florida, 14 June 2010 - 08:12 AM.

[haresfur]

One of the great things about my current job is Friday beer club in the break room. Beer is rated 1 to 10 by each member on taste (high is good) and wank (or presentation with high being excessively wanky labeling - e.g. Budwiser ranks about 10 on wank factor). Australians are about a decade behind the Pacific Northwest in beer quality IMO but there are some gems.

By coincidence the last two have been from Mildura brewery. I brought Mildura Storm cloudy ale (a bit wanky name for a less filtered beer). I quite liked the hop profile and was amused to find out it is basically their recreation of a PNW microbrew. Then we had their Mallee Bull - a malty brew but quite decent.

I'm going to check out their brew pub next week.

[Florida]

-Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout (BCBCS): Heavy, sweet, dark malts, with flavor of coffee, vanilla, oak, and a bit of bourbon.
-Green Flash / Brasserie St. Feuillien Bière De L'Amitie: A Belgian strong Blonde Ale, brewed with rye. Very light malt with flavors of coriander, cumin, and citrus rind finishing with a grassy hoppiness.
-Half Acre Shewolf: A collaboration beer with Three Floyds. Quite aromatic, with loads of grapefruit and citrus. Flavor is unusual for an IPA, starts with an unusual dry, musty earthiness, almost smoky, toasted malt flavor that fades to an astringent grapefruit bitterness. Long bitter finish. Some pine and citrus as well.

[Florida]

-CCB Jai Alai Cedar Aged IPA - Humidor Series: An interesting take on an IPA. Predominantly earthy hops with citrus and pine to a lesser extent. The cedar comes through as a compliment to the earthiness and the lighter malts and is not overpowering

-Duck-Rabbit Rabid Duck: An RIS with heavy dark malts, licorice, cocoa and a moderate bitterness, but a heavily roasted, almost burnt flavor that increases along the way.

-Brooklyn Sorachi Ace: A saison brewed with the Sorachi Ace hop. Slightly sweet malts on the front, tart apples with a little lemon and unripe pears. Somewhat vinous and a mild bitterness on the finish.

[dividend]

I've had some great beers lately.

Went to Founders brewery in Michigan, and was absolutely blown away by their Curmudgen. It's a non stout Bourbon Barrel beer, smooth, low carbonation, and it has that wonderful vanilla, oak flavor without any harshness at all. It's now my favorite beer. (If you get it in a bottle, decant it into a goblet style glass and let it sit for about 10 minutes - it's really harsh right out of the bottle.) Their breakfast stout was great, as always, and the BF liked the Red Rye, which is like a sweet IPA that's mellowed without getting boring.

While in Michigan, I tried some other local beers - Bells Consecrator Doppelbock, which was delicious and smooth, and Shorts Bourbon Barrel Sustenance, which tasted like espresso and cream in a really good way. If you like Founder's breakfast stout, you'll like this one.

Back home in Kansas City, I'm loving Boulevard's Two Jokers on tap. It's super bright and citrusy double wit, refreshing and crisp.

We discovered that Left Hand Milk Stout, which is a very drinkable stout for summer, is tremendously better on tap than in a bottle.

Tried three new beers from our neighborhood bar that are all Belgian style ales - La Chouff (a Belgian Blonde Ale), Pauwel Kwak (which is served in its own complicated chemistry set looking glass), and Maredsous Tripel (an Abbey style Tripel). The BF says that La Chouff tastes like what you get when take a pretty good IPA and let it age and mature. These are all heavy and sweet, but they've got varying degrees of that characteristic sour funk to them that keeps them from being too much. I love this style.

And I've been drinking a lot of Goose Island Sofie, both at home, with orange slices, and happily, on tap at most of my favorite bars. It's my go-to summer beer. Estrella Damm Inedit (brewed by Ferran Adria) is similar - brewed to be light, with citrus and spices.

[Cap'n Hector]

I generally drink my homebrew (currently have a saison and a ginger stout on tap) but I did have an excellent glass of Delirium Tremens yesterday. An excellent Belgian golden strong, and a good summer beer.

[Florida]

Attended a tasting over the weekend. We were lucky enough to try a few rarities:

-FFF Brandy Vanilla Dark Lord
-FFF DL De Muerte
-FFF DL Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Aged
-FFF DL Brandy Barrel Aged
-Lost Abbey Duck Duck Gooze
-The Bruery Chocolate Rain
-The Bruery Tart of Darkness
-Funky Buddha Wide Awake It’s Morning (Imperial Maple Bacon Coffee Porter)
-Armand'4 Oude Geuze Zomer
-Foothills Brewing BA Sexual Chocolate
-Half Acre Brandy Barrel Ambrosia
-Short’s Imperial Carob Stout
-Pelican Pub & Brewery Mother of All Storms
-Alpine Barrel Aged Token
-Jackie O’s Brandy Barrel Dark Apparation
-Hill Farmstead Double Galaxy
-COAST Blackbeerd
-East End Illustration Ale
-Cigar City/Dunedin Brewery Auld Alliance

[rlibkind]

Hennepin, accompanying bockwurst steamed atop sauerkraut and onions braised in unpasteurized apple cider. Not an idea combination, but satisfying nonetheless.

[rlibkind]

Heading to Wisconsin in a couple week. Can't wait for more Spotted Cow!

[BrentKulman]

Attended a tasting over the weekend. We were lucky enough to try a few rarities:

-FFF Brandy Vanilla Dark Lord
-FFF DL De Muerte
-FFF DL Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Aged
-FFF DL Brandy Barrel Aged
-Lost Abbey Duck Duck Gooze
-The Bruery Chocolate Rain
-The Bruery Tart of Darkness
-Funky Buddha Wide Awake It’s Morning (Imperial Maple Bacon Coffee Porter)
-Armand'4 Oude Geuze Zomer
-Foothills Brewing BA Sexual Chocolate
-Half Acre Brandy Barrel Ambrosia
-Short’s Imperial Carob Stout
-Pelican Pub & Brewery Mother of All Storms
-Alpine Barrel Aged Token
-Jackie O’s Brandy Barrel Dark Apparation
-Hill Farmstead Double Galaxy
-COAST Blackbeerd
-East End Illustration Ale
-Cigar City/Dunedin Brewery Auld Alliance

That is a powerhouse list. You should be pinching yourself at your good fortune.

[Vooon]

I had the brilliant Christmas special N'Ice Chouffe the other day, from Brasserie d’Achouffe, Belgium.

[ChrisTaylor]

Just ordered one each of the Westvleteren range. Hope I don't open a soaking box to find expensive shards of glass.

[ChrisTaylor]

A very very very good example of a Belgian blonde. Soft and smooth mouthfeel, altho' the finish is pretty subdued. Only a hint of that 'metallic' note Blondes tend to have. Only a hint, too, of carbonation. The whole package is somehow subtle without seeming watery and insipid. This is very much a yes. Worth the expense of the import. Shipping was fast, too. I kind of expected them to piss fart around a whole lot, but Belgium > Australia took a week-ish. Which is only marginally longer than how long it takes for an order from a large, Australian online store to arrive. Not that any local stores stock the Westvel range.

[ChrisTaylor]

The other two Westvleterens.



The 8. Same smooth mouthfeel, altho' this one feels a little more carbonated than the blonde. V. fine bubbles, tho'--more Veuve than Coke. Again, subtle and restrained and everything else. More yeasty/bready notes, tho'. Another yes.



Westvleteren's flagship brew. Like its brothers (sisters? cousins? ships and cyclones are women, but what about beers? are they asexual like old Soviet countries?) it's all underdone, subtle, restrained, altho' this being a darker beer it is obviously *less* underdone, subtle, restrained. It's very good. Is it the best beer in the world, as hailed by basically every 'best beers in the world' list ever printed or uploaded? Well. I don't know. I mean, 'best ever' is a pretty subjective thing and, just as price makes foie gras/caviar/et al more exciting, the difficulty in acquiring Westvleteren beers probably adds to the appeal. That and the label-less bottle and the fact the monks only brew just enough to keep the monastry running. And, too, the way it's one of the few truly true honest-to-God (pun intended) Trappist beers left. So. I don't know. But it is pretty fucking good. And so are the others. They're different beasts, sure, but I wouldn't rate the 12 any higher or lower than the 8 or the blonde.

[BrentKulman]

The other two Westvleterens.

Westvleteren's flagship brew. Like its brothers (sisters? cousins? ships and cyclones are women, but what about beers? are they asexual like old Soviet countries?) it's all underdone, subtle, restrained, altho' this being a darker beer it is obviously *less* underdone, subtle, restrained. It's very good. Is it the best beer in the world, as hailed by basically every 'best beers in the world' list ever printed or uploaded? Well. I don't know. I mean, 'best ever' is a pretty subjective thing and, just as price makes foie gras/caviar/et al more exciting, the difficulty in acquiring Westvleteren beers probably adds to the appeal. That and the label-less bottle and the fact the monks only brew just enough to keep the monastry running. And, too, the way it's one of the few truly true honest-to-God (pun intended) Trappist beers left. So. I don't know. But it is pretty fucking good. And so are the others. They're different beasts, sure, but I wouldn't rate the 12 any higher or lower than the 8 or the blonde.

I had the 12 a few years ago and found it a bit too sweet and boozy for my palate. A very nice beer, no doubt, and worth trying once. But when you get over the hype due to the difficulty of obtaining the Westvleteren, I think I much prefer the Rochefort 10, which is far easier to obtain.

[ChrisTaylor]

Looking back and all, not that I tried them side by side, but the 8 might just be that little bit superior to the 12. A little bit. It's a close call, though. I've heard good things about the Rochefort 10. It's also far, far, far cheaper than the Westvleteren. Any others you'd recommend?

[BrentKulman]

Here are a few recommendations for you in this genre:

Brasserie Des Rocs Triple Impériale
Corsendonk Christmas Ale
Maredsous 8 - Brune
St. Bernardus Abt 12.

[rod rock]

Yesterday not, but in saturday was some friend-gathering at my place. We decide to have good amount of "Staropramen" beer. They call it Prague's Jewel. Very nice, its my favorite!

[ChrisTaylor]

Hoegaarden's Grand Cru. A bit boring, really. It's okay. Maybe even on the above average side of okay. But it's just lacking something that makes it good. It's a step up from the standard Hoe, tho'. And probably the pick of what I picked up on my last run to the bottle-o--including the surprisingly forgettable Black Sheep Ale.

[kaszeta]

Had a long weekend in Austin, and managed to knock off quite a few new-to-me-beers, mostly from Austin

1. Jester King Beer Geek Rodeo (which was excellent)
2. High Esteem (IPA), Elba (Wheat), and Rebellious Dockhand (Raspberry) from Black Star Beer Co-Op
3. Austin Amber Ale
4. Lone Pine Hefe