599 replies to this topic

[petite tête de chou]

This is fun.
Petite tête de chou, Alaskan summer ale as in Alaskan Brewing Company, as in who makes Alaskan Smoked Porter?!  Oh my what I would give...
JohnnyD, I am glad to hear you are keeping cool in the sweltering heat.
TongoRad, you know how to choose a line-up!  Thanks for describing the Three Philosphers; I like Ommegang beers, but that's a new one on me.
Jsolomon, stand proud.  Do not hang your head in shame!  Well, not for long, anyway.    Really I am interested in -- or perhaps nosey about -- what everybody's drinking, so I hope nobody will hold back!

Yup, Alaskan Brewing Co. Good stuff!

[malarkey]

My boyfriend drank some Bridgeport IPA last night while I had my Miller Light

Della you should have hit him over the head and taken his Bridgeport IPA.

Yesterday was Q day: While waiting for the food we consumed a bottle of Deus. A nice start to any day Then with the food (ribs!) came Deshutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale, with desserts (9 layer caramel cake and chocolate cookies) with Guinness Stout.

Friday night: Cold fried chicken with 2004 Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.

[john b]

Smithwick's and Harpoon Winter Warmer.

[Matsusaka Ushi]

Yesterday: Bitburger Pils, Unibroue Éphémère Apple, LindemansLambic Framboise
Today: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Bells Oberon, Paulaner Salvator Double Bock.


Ahhh... a good selection, if a bit odd. I enjoy variety!

[malarkey]

Today: Tuna salad (not just ANY tuna salad, this one has artichoke hearts, capers, kalamata olives, mayo and lots o' dill) with chips and Rogue's Morimoto Imperial Pilsner. DAMN this is a good beer. If you can find it where you are at, I highly encourage trying it.

(brewed with french pilsner malt, sterling hops, and czech pilsner yeast, it comes in at 8.8%) Here's Rogue's description: "Golden in color with a dry hop floral aroma and intense hop bitterness supported by a big malty backbone which culminates into a hedonistic mouthful."

;-)

[TongoRad]

chromedome:

Several hours later, around the neighbours' backyard fire, I enjoyed a Unibroue "Terrible;" a BIG bad-ass abbey-style brew weighing in at a whopping 10.5% alcohol, but with flavour and complexity enough to make it fly. Like many of Unibroue's beers there is bottle fermentation going on, so be careful when you open the champagne-style cork! They anticipate up to eight years' successful bottle aging with this product, if anyone has the patience to cellar 'em...

So far that has been my favorite of Unibroue's amazing lineup- well worth seeking out. I haven't had the pleasure of sampling the Ephemere Apple yet, though.

Matsusaka Ushi:

Yesterday: Bitburger Pils, Unibroue Éphémère Apple, LindemansLambic Framboise
Today: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Bells Oberon, Paulaner Salvator Double Bock.


Ahhh... a good selection, if a bit odd. I enjoy variety!

I tend to do the same thing, myself. Sometimes it takes forever to put a case together in the store. You also listed a few of my all time favorites up there- a good selection indeed.

[helenas]

Victory Storm King imperial stout, nice but nothing special so need to retest.

Another King: Three Floyds Alpha King pale ale: the king indeed, and a perfect match with edamame yuzu pesto and soba.

[Prepcook]

Susan treated me to a stout float for an after dinner treat. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (Limited Bottling Winter 03-04) and Breyers vanilla ice cream. The stout has aged out of all its bitterness. Really nice.
She posted it on Stout Floats vs. Proter Floats.

[jeffc666]

Victory Storm King imperial stout, nice but nothing special so need to retest.

Storm King was very dissapointing this year. Just a shadow of its former glory. Not sure if it is due to the new brewery that Victory is using or what.

[Basilgirl]

Sierra Nevadas. Many.

[Matsusaka Ushi]

Paulaner Hefe-weizen, and a Pinkus Hefeweizen. Oh, and I'll sneak in the wine I'm saving to drink with dinner, a Laforet Bourgogne Pinot Nior.

[Susan in FL]

Victory Storm King imperial stout, nice but nothing special so need to retest.

Storm King was very dissapointing this year. Just a shadow of its former glory. Not sure if it is due to the new brewery that Victory is using or what.

I didn't know that Victory was using a new brewery. I went to the website and just saw a brief mention about it. Is it at the same location, and when did it open?

Today I had a Dogfish Head ApriHop, with Shawarma for lunch. I love that beer! I don't think I would realize that apricots are part of it, if I didn't know the beer. Suzi and other hopheads, I would recommend this one if you haven't already tasted it. Rich Pawlak turned me on to what a good match this beer is for Middle Eastern food.
We're having wine with dinner, too, M.U.

[BrentKulman]

Tonight, I made buttermilk dipped fried chicken in a cast iron skillet. First time I had made fried chichen in quite some time. While it was frying, I finished off a bottle of 2003 Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda, an Argentine wine that is quite possibly the best wine bargain I have ever come across - a 92 rated wine in Wine and Spirits magazine that can be purchased on the web for as little as $4.99 a bottle. (I know this is off topic, but I enjoy wine almost as much as beer - and to find a new grape [Bonarda] that I like is pretty exciting.)

To get back on topic, I paired the chicken with an Alleycat Amber from Lost Coast - the pairing was fine but the beer was just so-so, slightly phenolic and lacking a good hop counter-balance to the caramel malt. Lost Coast's 8 Ball Stout, however, is magnificent and I will have to re-visit that sometime soon for the Stout thread.

Keep these beer threads coming, Susan. It's certainly impacting my evening libations. With almost 100 beer styles the possibilities are unlimited.

[TongoRad]

I had another Ommegang Three Philosophers ( their Quadruple blended with cherry lambic) tonight and took some notes this time. I think i'm going to follow it up with a choke cherry mead that I made a few years ago. Here's what I got-

Color is a cloudy yet rich copper/brown with a dense, albeit not so long lasting, tan head. The head easily resurrects itself with a little swirl of the glass.

Bouquet is luxuriously malty with a good helping of cherries and caramel. Hints of a spicy nature in the background suggest coriander and perhaps sweet orange peel. Overall very inviting- nothing even remotely out of place- and possibly this beer's best feature.

Flavors are dominated by the caramel first and cherries second- essentially following through on the nose. Mouthfeel is moderately full. A sharp whack of bitterness and acidity brings it all home, minimizing any cloying tendencies the beer might have. The finish is a lingering sensation of dried cherries. Alcohol (9.8%) is barely noticible.

A tremendous effort- very well concieved and executed. Any thoughts one might have of a gimmick concept should quickly disappear upon the first sniff of this wonderful brew.

[jsolomon]

Last night: Empyrean Ales (Lazlo's) Scottish Ale. Quite a restorative after a full day of work and an evening of cleaning and packing to move.

Good flavor, good mouthfeel. No flavors that really pop out at you, though. It's kind of like a subdued Boston Lager from Sam Adams. Pretty good with my fish and chips, even if they did undercook the fish the first time around.

They made it good, and I've never had complaints about Lazlo's.

[Mallet]

Beamish Stout, Propeller Porter (local), Clancy's Amber Ale. And ribs, lots of ribs (first real BBQ of the season!).

[gbredben]

Stegmaier Gold Medal. Great taste and outrageously cheap. $11.00 for a 24 pack case, 16 oz bottles. Great to enjoy for drinking and cooking.

[cdh]

Had a pint of O'Hara's Irish Stout the other night. Very unimpressive. Body too thin, a slight rusty metalic taste, and enough diacetyl to make it taste like movie theater popcorn.

Maybe just a bad keg, but very unimpressive.

[chromedome]

The London Style Porter mentioned by Mallet in his post is an unsung gem of Canadian brewing, taking home a silver medal from the 2002 World Beer Championships (beaten, IIRC, only by archetypal porter Old Growler). Highly recommended, if any of you are planning to visit Halifax...

[Mallet]

The London Style Porter mentioned by Mallet in his post is an unsung gem of Canadian brewing, taking home a silver medal from the 2002 World Beer Championships (beaten, IIRC, only by archetypal porter Old Growler).  Highly recommended, if any of you are planning to visit Halifax...

Feeling homesick again? Seriously though, Propeller Porter truly is a fantastic beer.

[jeffc666]

Victory Storm King imperial stout, nice but nothing special so need to retest.

Storm King was very dissapointing this year. Just a shadow of its former glory. Not sure if it is due to the new brewery that Victory is using or what.

I didn't know that Victory was using a new brewery. I went to the website and just saw a brief mention about it. Is it at the same location, and when did it open?

The first batches came out of the brewery late last year. I am not sure where it is located. I do however know that many folks have noticed a decline in their overall product since moving over to the new brewery. Personally I have only tried the Storm King and the Old Horizontal recently. As I mentioned before the Storm King was nowhere near what it once was while the Old Horizontal was good though not superb.

I think that they are now brewing all bottled product out of the new brewery.

[Matsusaka Ushi]

Day before yesterday: I drank some Boddingtons and Guinness Draught.
Yesterday: Henninger Lager. Not exactly GOOD beer per se, its sorta skunky and a bit too sweet for its style. I dunno, it is remarkably cheap though, and I am poor at the moment. $4.79 for a 6pack of pints is insane... and its way better than busweiser.

[malarkey]

Last night after class: Cantillon Kriek

makes for a nice sleeping pill. ;-)

[joey madison]

Yesterday: New Glarus Brewing Edel Pils, Leinenkugel's Red, and ahem, Rolling Rock.
Today: Unibroue La Fin du Monde

Edited by joey madison, 28 April 2005 - 10:43 AM.

[Chufi]

please don't tell my husband that I just found another interesting forum on EGullet that I now will have to check daily!!!

I am very intrigued by all the beers you're describing. A lot of them I've never heard of, I think they are many American brews?
I love good beer and discovering new ones. Here in Amsterdam, you can do that 2 ways: there are specialty beer shops, that sell nothing but beer (and I bet they sell lots of the stuff that is mentioned on this thread) or you go to a bar that specializes in beer, they will have many different ones on tap and lots more in a bottle.
Is it like that in the US?

Edited by Chufi, 28 April 2005 - 11:01 AM.

[suzilightning]

last night while catching up on our day johnnybird and i shared a dogfish head chicory stout. oh dear! oh my! oh gollygosh!!! nice dark brown color little bit of a head but not overly fizzy. smooth - john said it was a light stout- and creamy with out the burnt flavor i taste in guinness. maybe a little on the sweet side but i really, really liked it. good thing there are 5 more in the cellar

[planojim]

yesterday was:

Goose Island IPA
Hazed and Infused dry hopped ale (Rockies Brewing Company)
Mojo IPA (Rockies Brewing Company)
Pyramid IPA

I picked up those last 3 when I was in Omaha last week. Went to a place called the Crescent Moon Ale House, which you should definitely check out if you find yourself in Omaha.

[BrentKulman]

There are some good beers being consumed out there...who knew???

Today, I had a real winner:

Alpha King Pale Ale by Three Floyds Brewing

Here are my tasting notes:

Appearance: Pours a medium amber clear body with a nice fluffy head that leaves lacing all over the place

Smell: Loads of sweet citrus fruit; ruby red grapefruit, a touch of treacle and some alcohol (after all this is over 7% ABV)

Taste: The hops take a whack at your taste buds right off the bat but there is a wonderful blending with the malt that distinguishes this brew from other pale ales; incredibly well-balanced so that the bitterness never overwhelms

Mouthfeel: Nice and full-bodied for a pale ale with a healthy dose of carbonation

Drinkability: This is a very satisfying example of the style.

[Matsusaka Ushi]

Tonight: Rogue Dead Guy Ale

Chufi,
Here you can usually find better beers at specialty shops or at a good bar that has a wide selection. I also have had luck in finding little shops, groceries or even conveinence stores that carry anything from a huge microbrew/specialty section to a dozen or so very good beers.

When I lived in Columbus Ohio I had a small place called Dairy Family that looked like a total dump right down the street. It was a shop ran by an indian family. When I first moved there I never thought to get anything but cigarettes there. One day I was wandering through the store and I looked at the large beer cooler and realized that they had well over 100 microbrews of very high quality, some of such small production numbers that they came in unmarked white 6-pack carrying cases with hand pasted labels. They had the full selection of Bells (kalamazoo brewing company), Rogue, and even Unibrou. They also had a selection of around 75 imports of high quality. I could get Corsendonk or Chimay, even some Lindemans Lambic. I became VERY good friends with those people very quickly.

Now that I live in a small town where the cows outnumber the people I have found that my local independent grocery has a selection of about 30 high quality microbrews and another 20 imports of good quality. I found beers that I would never expect to see in such a small town. I guess I've just been lucky.

Edited by Matsusaka Ushi, 28 April 2005 - 02:28 PM.

[Jim]

Today at lunch I had a Harmon Brewery [Tacoma, WA] Point Defiance IPA draught ale.

It poured a hazy organge, with a tight, off white head. Light, but definite aroma of citrusy hops. Medium to light mouthfeel, soft carbonation. Very pronounced citrus hop flavour at first, combination of burnt orange and light grapefruit taste from dryhopping Amarillo hops in secondary fermentation delicately offset by light caramel malt. Rather short finish of hop and malt falvours but a longish, slightly sticky, appropriate dry bitterness persists. Overall, a very solid example of an American IPA, though on the weak side with 5.8 abv.