What Beers Did You Drink Today? Or Yesterday? (Part 1)

[jeniac42]

Well, yesterday was the Super Bowl, so of course there had to be beer involved. We wanted to go out to watch the game, but didn't want to be anywhere near an area with a lot of bars (i.e. post-game madness), so we went to the Sharp Edge.

We were there for eight hours, and so I may be missing a few of the beers, but I think this is everything we drank:

- Hoegaarden (draft, good as usual)

- Unibroue Ephemere Cranberry (big bottle, not as good as the blackcurrant kind but still tasty)

- Pilsener Urquell (draft, good)

- Chimay white label (big bottle, I still prefer the blue, but this is Eric's favorite)

- Delerium Nocturnum (big bottle, good)

- Ayinger Ur-Weiss (medium bottle, had some banana flavors? but the glass was cool)

- Flag Porter (small bottle, also good)

- Van Steenberge Bornem Dubbel (small bottle, good)

[LJDolan]

Sunday (for the Super Bowl):

Alaskan Smoked Porter

Dick's Barleywine

Troeg's Troegenator and Mad Elf

Monday:

Thoroughbred's (Lessburg,VA brewpub) trippel

[lambretta76]

jeniac42 -

I went to the Sharp Edge last time I was in Pittsburgh - what a beer list! Really nice for Pennsylvania bars...

As for my Super Bowl party, we had:

Iron City (aluminum bottles) - decent for what it is - a light pre-Prohibition style lager

Penn Brewery Dark Lager - I really like this brewery's beers - just a perfect dark lager

Red Hook IPA and ESB - of course I couldn't drink these as I'm from Pittsburgh...

Yeungling Light - wrong side of the state, and truly an awful light beer (though I guess that's a bit repetitive.)

[Gruzia]

Today -

Rogue's Brutal Bitter - not that great, a bit off on the aftertaste

Brasserie La Choulette "Les Sans Culottes" - french farmhouse ale...tastes surprisingly toasty for something that light, sweet, malty, yummy

Yesterday -

Unibroue Don de Dieu - apricot finish, refreshing, a bit of honey, really good...this brewery is pretty consistent with the quality factor.

[eje]

Hop Henge did finally get released and it is very good. It has a similar aroma as Pelican IPA and Bear Republic Racer 5, two of my favorites.

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Haven't seen the Hop Henge here, yet. Looking forward to it. I like the Racer 5 (actually all the Bear Republic beers I've tried so far). Who makes Pelican IPA?

Last night we had another bottle of Deschutes Hop Trip, which still blows me away, and a few Bear Republic Red Rockets.

[snekse]

I just found this thread thanks to following some posts by "Susan in FL". Glad to see "jsalmon" here.

Anyway, here are the 3 beers that I most recently tried that I will certainly buy again.

Leinenkugel's BIG BUTT Doppelbock

The rich, malty aroma that rises from the thick, foamy head of this deliciously dark brew was first brewed in 1996 by the careful blending of two- and six-row malts and several specialty malts, including Munich and Dark Chocolate and two specialty hops. It's available January through March.

Availability: January—March

Malts: Two-and six-row Pale malt, Munich, Dark Chocolate, and Caramel.

Hops: Cluster, Mt. Hood

Alcohol Content: 5.8% by Volume

Calories/12-oz.: 194

Carb. grams/12-oz.: 18.8

Serving temperature:

Lightly chilled at 48°

Leinenkugel's Creamy Dark

Available year-round and aged slowly, our winner of 6 awards in American Dark Lagers (Bronze 2004, Gold 2002, Silver 2000 World Beer Cup®; Silver 2002, Bronze 2004, Gold 2005 Great American Beer Festival®) has the full, deep blackish-brown color of a stout, without its bitterness. Don't let the color fool you. This is a tasty, smooth brew with a nutty, crisp finish, handcrafted since 2000 from a rich blend of six malts and Cascade, Cluster and Mt. Hood hops.

Availability: Year-round

Malts: Munich, Chocolate, Wheat, and three Pale malts

Hops: Cascade, Cluster and

Mt. Hood

Alcohol Content: 4.9% by Volume

Calories/12-oz.: 170

Carb. grams/12-oz.: 16.8

Serving temperature:

Lightly chilled at 48°

Samuel Smith Taddy Porter

Very dark, fairly full in body and packed with flavor. Intense, dry tangy character of roasted barley.

“One of the world’s five best beers.”—Michael Jackson AKA The Beer Hunter

The 2 Leinie's are great beers at a great price. Even if I tried a new beer a week for the next 5 years, I imagine these would stay in my top 50 list. Currently I'd put them in my top 15.

As for the Samuel Smith, this beer is just out of this world. Granted I love malty beers, but the subtle tone in this beer makes it like candy. The biggest drawback is the price. At Whole Foods here in Omaha, it's about $11 for 4. That's just too much for anything other than special occasions. Currently in my top 3 list of beers, though I really can't think of anything I'd rather drink. I have yet to try the other beers Samuel Smith makes, but you can bet I plan on doing so.

[Susan in FL]

Nice!

I've been drinking a real good sixer of Mojo IPA, Boulder Beer Co. Tasty! It sort of reminds me of Victory Hop Devil, only with less Devil. Last night I used it to make beer cheese soup, and I drank some -- but of course.

I'm trying to acquire a taste for Belgians and those styles, but it's hard work. I drank part of a Hoegaarden the other night. I just can't embrace the banana bubble gum.

The Hoegaarden was part of a collection that Morten brought us from Denmark. Does anybody have a recommendation for anything in this gift box?

The last one on the right that's hard to read is Cobra. I had never heard of this beer before

[eje]

The Hoegaarden was part of a collection that Morten brought us from Denmark.  Does anybody have a recommendation for anything in this gift box?

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Leffe is a very nice beer.

I do have some friends, normally beer loving folks, who just can't embrace the flavors of Belgian style beers. They are pretty different from yer American style IPAs and whatnot.

I don't mind Hoegaarden, especially on a very hot summer day.

[Rich Pawlak]

Nice!

I've been drinking a real good sixer of Mojo IPA, Boulder Beer Co.  Tasty!  It sort of reminds me of Victory Hop Devil, only with less Devil.  Last night I used it to make beer cheese soup, and I drank some -- but of course.

I'm trying to acquire a taste for Belgians and those styles, but it's hard work.  I drank part of a Hoegaarden the other night.  I just can't embrace the banana bubble gum.

The Hoegaarden was part of a collection that Morten brought us from Denmark.  Does anybody have a recommendation for anything in this gift box?

The last one on the right that's hard to read is Cobra.  I had never heard of this beer before

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Staropromen from the Czech republic is a good decent lager, with a nice hop bite. And get a load of that great Belgian, Brooklyn! Didnt know they bottled in Belgium! LOL!

BTW, Leffe is a beer worth savoring.

[Rich Pawlak]

Poured a bottle of 2004 Mendocino Winter Warmer last night. Oustanding! Rich, chewy and full of mollasses and hops and like drinking a slice of Sacher torte (without the raspberry and schlag, of course), dark, dense chocolate.

[Tad]

I enjoyed a Chimay Grand Reserve earler today, it is easily the best beer I have ever tasted.

The other day I opened a bottle of Trappistes Rochefort #10, good but not as good.

I have several other Belgian Ales I haven't tried yet.

I did have a Holland Abbey Triple Ale Saturday, it was good, a little lighter slightly fruity but I prefer darker ales.

[helenas]

If you're lucky to have Tröegs distributed in your area, rush to get some Nugget Nectar Ale - heaven, according to IPA addicts.

[rlibkind]

Chesterfield Ale by Yuengling. My go-to cheap beer at home. Learned about it from a high-volume beer drinking British ex-pat.

[Susan in FL]

Mmmm, sounding good everybody.

I enjoyed a Chimay Grand Reserve earler today, it is easily the best beer I have ever tasted.

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That sounds like an endorsement to me, and perhaps what I should drink once I've acquired the taste for these beers.

I drank the Leffe last night. I was able to tolerate it, er umm, I mean enjoy it more than the Hoegaarden. Its style is preferable to me, but then there was the issue of too heavy on the malt.

If you're lucky to have Tröegs distributed in your area, rush to get some Nugget Nectar Ale - heaven, according to IPA addicts.

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Now you're talking to me, Helena. I'm accumulating a list for a store I found. The guy said if something is distributed in our area, he will get it.

Meanwhile, for finishing the whole bottle and leaving me wanting more, it has mostly been the Mojo IPA, Tupper's Hop Pocket, Victory Hop Wallop, and some barelywines.

[helenas]

Speaking of barleywines i would recommend to try Avery Hog Heaven, this is a very unusual beer, and true to its name a must-try for all hopheads.

[Jim]

Had Deschutes' Hop Henge twice in the last two days. First try was on draft at the Dog and Pony Alehouse, near Boeing Renton. Very statiating beer, heavy mouth feel with malty biscuit notes. Medium to dark reddish brown color with tight head and medium carbonation. Initial hop aroma is quite subtle, round and floral as are the first several tastes; while the hop character is subtle at first, it is soon overwhelmed by the deep bitterness and the heavy malt.

The original gravity is stated to be 1080 and the abv as 7.5%, meaning that the final gravity would have been in the range of 1020 to 1024 [quite high for non homebrewed double IPA] so there must be significant amounts of residual dextrins in the beer contributing to the satiating quality. Although I quite enjoyed the hop aroma and character, I was unable to work up enthusiasm for another one [that day].

Next day I found a bottle at Whole Foods so I brought that home to pair with aged cheddar and crackers before the fire. The hop aromatics and character were still there but more muted than with the draft version. Still too no-moreish for me.

The advertised 3.5 pounds of hops per barrel, by the way, is a fairly typical hop rate for double IPA's [working out to about 1.8 oz hops per gallon] and not at all over-the-top unusual.

Overall this beer is very worthy beer experiment by a fine craft brewery and well worth seeking out, particularly if you only want one! I read in earlier posts a comparison to Bear Republic's Racer 5, one of my long time favorites. I find Racer 5 far more quaffable, less satiating and less malty than Hop Henge. Racer X, however, is quite similar to Hop Henge to my taste.

[helenas]

Does anybody have a recommendation for anything in this gift box?

Susan, sorry i missed your post but this Christoffel Blond in your box is my favorite, pilsener that tastes like full flavored amber ale - very good.

Yesterday tried Mojo IPA - it's good but a bit unidimensional.

Two of Moylans tonight - Hopsickle Imperial IPA and Moylander Double IPA - supposedly very good.

Edited February 25, 2006 by helenas (log)

[2roost]

Pilsner Urquell (500ml can) post work to cut the dust and then a contemplative Marston's Oyster Stout with charcuterie.

[Susan in FL]

I'm really liking the posts recently. Great beer adjectives... unidimensional, yes. In fact, I often like single-hopped brews, so perhaps that Mojo IPA is a signal of one of my favorite hop flavors.

And how descriptive... a post work beer to cut the dust and then a contemplative one with charcuterie. I love it.

At the moment I'm pretty much at a loss of memory for the name and a loss for words for the description, but wanted to mention that I drank a Karl Strass IPA at the LA airport late Wednesday night/Thursday morning, and enjoyed it very much.

Last night at Happy Hour, back here in the Daytona area, I had a Yuengling Lager from the tap. It was great for gulping down which was what I needed at the time.

Helena, I'm glad to hear about the Christoffel Blond. I'll try it soon.

[TongoRad]

For the east coast hopheads out there who are getting jealous of all these Deschutes references (I can't be the only one...): Troegs has recently released Nugget Nectar in bottles. They're calling it a Double American Amber, and it is a gorgeous, perfectly constructed ale, absolute dripping with juicy malt and hops. It is a seasonal so get 'em while you can.

[Susan in FL]

Troegs Nugget Nectar is on my Beer Wish List.

I drank the Christoffel Blond. Nice, refreshingly good!

[Rich Pawlak]

Troegs Nugget Nectar ROCKS! I'll send you some if you'd like.

As for me, dropped into Philly's Grey Lodge Pub for a pint of Stegmaier Brewhouse Bock, and it was everything everyone has said it would be, silken, malty and full of earthy goodness. I grew up where Steg is made, and it's fantastic to see it on tap in Philly.

[Susan in FL]

Troegs Nugget Nectar ROCKS!  I'll send you some if you'd like.

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Whoa Richie, were you talking to me? I would like! See you in email.

[M.X.Hassett]

Drinking the last bottle of this years Rogue "Santa's Private Reserve Ale" nice and hoppy with a nice bitter finish. It tastes best at about 50f or so. It also goes well with compound butter(unsalted Vermont cultured butter, equal part raw egg yolk), chopped Wagyu tenderloin, smoked Brittany sea salt, smoked Spanish pimente paprika, and fresh ground black pepper, on toasted Balthazar baguette slices. Nice little 'round midnight snack.

[eipi10]

I've come to the conclusion that St Bernardus 12 is one of the five or so best beers in the world. Drank it yesterday on tap. Yes, I can get it in two locations on tap in Boston, life is good.