jeffc666

Scaldis Prestige. Very impressive. A very, very good oak-aged beer, quite possibly the best oak-aged beer I have yet had.

I have never done more than rinse the growler with hot tap water immediately after emptying it. I have never had a problem. Most of my growlers are the swing=top kind with the metal handle, ceramic lid, and rubber gasket. I have a few screwtops but rarely use them.

The site has a very large US user base. There are lots of other users from all over the world but the US dominates. So the list will be biased as to what is most readily accessible to the users. Here is the breakdown of users by Country and State/Province for North America. http://www.ratebeer.com/Users/Distribution.asp I am active on RateBeer, and no I do not agree 100% with that list of Top 50 brewers but I can say that those 50 are all great brewers (at least the 48 that I have tried). The biggest omission IMO is Bürgerbräu Wolnzach (not even in the top 100!!!). Also the top 3, while all good, are all highly over-rated IMO!

Those brewers you mention might brew great beer but they have little to no distribution outside of Nebraska so they have little chance to make it on to a list like the RateBeer Best. In my travels as a beer lover I am always amazed at the gems that are hidden away in cities and towns that I have never heard of. But without wider distribution there is little hope that these gems will ever be reconized beyone the locals and the few that happen across them. Also, states that have more absurd alcohol laws (i.e., no growlers, strict bottling requirements etc...) will never be able to step into the spotlight. (I am usure of Nebraska's laws this is just a general statement, and one that is readily apparent in the SouthEastern US).

It is good to see the major media outlets running some enlightened beer articles. However in my experience there are tons of beer journalists out there that seem to think that they will never get published in a non-beer source so they just whine and moan about how the major news media will not advocate for beer. It takes a lot of effort and hard work to make Average Joe, even Gourmand Joe, realize that there is much more to beer then BMC. I am still stunned to see so many people at high end grocery stores buying $20/lb meats, picked ripe vegetables, and $40/lb cheeses with a 12 pack of Miller Lite (or whatever) in their cart alongside their usually wide assortment of wine bottles.

Pelican IPA is one of, if not the, best IPAs in the world. IMHO of course. That beer is so lovely. I heard that Pelican stopped producing bottles, if true it is a real shame becuase I doubt I will ever see a keg of that stuff over here on the East Coast. I had to mail order the bottles as it was. drool...drool and to keep this post on topic, I am now enjoying a rather lovely Dunkelweizen from Legend brewing in Richmond, VA. A great interpretation of the style and a perfect match for the warmer weather.

Check the beer tours at Ratebeer.com: San Diego Orange County (south of L.A.) Los Angeles Las Vegas Main Places Page From experience I can tell you that the single best beer stop in So Cal. is Pizza Port Solana Beach. I have not been to central/northern Cal. but the places section on RateBeer ought to help. As for Utah, it is a rather poor place for beer. There are a few breweries in the state, most, if not all, in and around Salt Lake City. If you make it down to Phoenix make sure to go to Papago Brewing.

While I hav had the 1/2 gallon jugs of Private Stock before my worst beer was a 6 year old barley wine that was horribly infected. In my notes I used burning band-aids a number of times as well as 3rd degree burns. You get the picture. The beer was Big Ale brewed by the now defunct Brimstone Brewery in Frederick, MD. Apparently they nailed the recipe and avoided infection with the next year's vintage, 1999, but I have never had it. If you see a bottle that is labeled as being bottled in 1998 avoid it at all costs!

They are also brewing a line of beers (12oz 6 packs) for Trader Joe's grocery stores. A Bohemian Pilsener, Bock, Vienna, and a Hefe. I just tried the Pilsener last night and was dissapointed. I have the other three in the fridge to try soon. As for the DC GB I have never been but I have had their beers on a number of occasions (festivals, tastings, etc...). I have never had any of the other GB brewer's beers (other than the bottled Pils as mentioned above). What I have had from the DC location has been acceptable though nothing special.

Legend Golden IPA. A very interesting brew. The brewer uses a yeast that produces diacetyl (Ringwood or Scottish Ale maybe?) or at least a lot of butterscotch (almost Fenugreek) notes. This is pronounced in all of the beers they brew. Some hate diacetyl flavors but I happen to like them in moderation in ceratin beer styles. I think that i certainly makes for an interesting IPA experience, especially for an IPA that is clear gold in color and clocks in at 7% abv. Legend's distribution is small but if you are in Viriginia look for their beers, some of them are quite good! And no I am not affiliated with the brewery just a fan.

I am currently lost in a haze of beer nirvana, namely Girardin Gueuze. Oh how I love this beer.

Back in college I brewed regularly with a friend of mine. Everything had names based around Surly. My favorite was our Imperial Stout, Surly Tsar. We also had various Surly Cats and Monkeys and other such animals one might find in the menagerie of the mad.

Last night I had a beer nirvana moment, namely 500ml of Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock. Lovely in every way. The aroma was so good it took me a full 10 minutes to even think about drinking some. 4.8 out of 5.0 Full review here for those interested.

New River Pale Ale from Old Dominion. Its local so the price is right and it is very good. One of, if not the best, American Pale Ales I have ever had. The unfiltered Giradin Gueuze would be competing for the top spot if it wasn't $7 for 375ml!!! Actually any decent gueuze but they all cost too much to guzzle down.

I finally cracked open one of my Rodenbach Alexanders. I was going to drink a few weeks back but I had too much of a head cold to appreciate it. For an 8 year old beer it has held up well. Much sweeter than the Grand Cru less acidity. Still very nice. 4 out of 5.